Beyond the Veil
by Gregora
Summary: What happens when a street-wise young woman from Earth is magically summoned to the FF7 world of Gaia? Read and find out! New: Currently being rewritten!
1. Prologue

Beyond the Veil

Disclaimer: I only own Ami-kun, the rest of everything is owned by other people, mostly Square-Enix. I'd like to thank everyone who has sent me feedback on this fic- you've all helped me out.

Prologue

Ami sighed in annoyance as she entered her apartment. It was small- it didn't need to be big. It was just a room with a bed and a bathroom. She mostly used it as a place to keep the few belongings she kept and where she could relax. It didn't need a kitchen since it was within the establishment she ran. If she needed food, all she had to do was call down to whoever the cook was that night. She cursed under her breath as she sat down- it had been a grueling day on the job.

First of all, one of her girls had been found dead and she knew why. It was a message to her from yet another gang. The rising gang activity looked like it was heading to a full-scale turf war. But still, she could come out of it richer like she always did. It helped that she had people within all of the gangs in town. Then she could start selling information to both sides and rake in the cash. Of course, if the other side were to find out that she was playing both sides, she would make sure that whichever side knew wouldn't exist anymore. It always was good pay to sell information to the local cops too.

She stretched her back by leaning as far back as she could, noting that even if her back wasn't that great, she still had her flexibility to lean back so her back was parallel to the ground. She felt a few pops coming from her back as she slowly started to lean as far forward as she could, touching the floor as she done so.

She decided that perhaps a nice hot bath would help her nerves and her back a bit. She had a slight limp as she walked into the bathroom, something she had ever since she took a rather nasty fall in her high school years. Since then, she swore she had developed arthritis. And it didn't help that she could feel a storm coming through the healed fracture in her left foot. Oh yeah, it was burning a great deal as did the rest of the fractured bones. It was a sad fact that she had enough titanium in her to be a wonderful human lightning rod if she was ever outside during a thunderstorm. She could feel the rods of metal hum with the static in the air, but knew that she should be fine since the whole building was grounded properly- even if she was covered in water inside, she shouldn't get shocked.

She grabbed her pajamas off of the top of her bed and limped into the bathroom, finally turning on the light, illuminating the apartment. Closing the door behind her, she looked at herself in the mirror. Her face looked back at her, making her look underage when she was an adult. It was still round, her widow's peak making it look more heart-shaped. Twisting on her neck was her dragon tattoo. It curved around her neck, a black and jagged serpent with only two visible arms ending with two claws each. She had a small quartz stud on her right nostril that she reached to remove but decided otherwise.

Her eyes were an empty brown that would be considered decidedly average if they weren't both close and deep set. She frowned, her bottom lip scarred to the point of looking like it was missing a chunk out of it. Her nose was a short and thick stub that drew her hatred almost as much as her skeletal structure. She was built like a Panzer- thick and obviously capable of taking damage and dishing it out. She knew that what she hated about herself made her the most intimidating woman in the area- at her full five-foot-ten, she was taller than most women and clearly more muscular. No one longer wanted to get into a fight with her.

Whether it was because of her intelligence network, her girls, her mean right hook, or them just not wanting to be tackled to the ground and crushed under two hundred pounds of muscle and bone. It didn't matter to her. She knew she had power now and she would keep it as long as she could.

She took off her shirt and pants, revealing herself in her underwear. It was like this that if she turned just right, she could see the wing tattoos on her back- the one on her right was white and the one on her back was as black as the dragon on her neck.

It was also like this that she could see how her waist barely curved into her hips and that she still had the same breasts as she did when she was sixteen except that they were pushed forward due to her muscles. She didn't need anyone to tell her that she looked masculine- she could see it in some of her girl's glances. It didn't bother her much- as long as they didn't assault her, she was fine with the looks.

She heard the door to her apartment open and she stood to the side of her bathroom door as quietly as one could move barefoot on tile flooring. She went on a defensive posture, her hands balled up in fists. _'Either they'll shoot first or they'll open the door first. Either way, they won't know what hit them,'_ she thought, readying herself to attack whoever dared to violate her apartment.

The sound of the door opening was what sent her into the darkness as she tackled whoever it was. Female laughter rung out before clearly being a gasp of terror. She didn't do more, realizing that the woman was unarmed. Getting up, she walked to flip the switch to turn on the lights of her apartment.

Wearing a two-piece bikini was a girl who looked like she might just be underage but she knew that her birth records showed her to be eighteen. She was rather well endowed with curves that would make any man get a bit arm under the collar. Way under the collar. Long, straight black hair and blue eyes, what many men would call a dark beauty.

Ami could only let out a sigh, pinching the bridge of her nose before giving the girl a glare.

"What were ya doing, walking in like ya owned this place?" she asked, her voice even and showing no emotion whatsoever.

"I just...I just wanted to see you...I...I love you..." the woman said.

_'And I told this woman that I didn't like women like that. I just don't roll that way! What is she thinking! Doesn't she ever listen to me!'_ she thought inwardly, her mental words biting and angry.

"It would mean more to a man," Ami stated, her voice as empty of emotion as her face.

"But it means a lot to me. You mean a lot to me," the woman said, standing up.

"But the thing is, you're just another of my employees who I can just fire an' kick out. Because you've shown me disrespect by violating my privacy, you have an hour to leave and take everything of yours with you," Ami said, "good-bye Elise."

"you don't feel anything, don't you?" Elise said, reaching up to touch Ami's cheek to cup it, getting it slapped away.

"Don't you ever touch me. If you do so again, you will find yourself in a field out in the boonies with a backhoe dropping dirt on you," Ami said, her glare deepening.

Elise looked heartbroken and on the verge of crying as she looked at Ami as if Ami had grown a second head or was a complete monster.

"They are right! You _are_ the 'Ice Queen'!" the woman exclaimed before running off, slamming Ami's door behind her.

"And good riddance," Ami stated with a frown as thunder heard far off, making the rods of metal feel like they were going to cook her alive due to electricity.

"I hate this weather," Ami stated, realizing that a hot bath sounded better by the moment, realizing darkly that the pain was not unlike the time that she had unknowingly chewed a piece of tin foil with her food until it made contact with the filling in a molar.

_'Now, if everyone and their dog could just leave me well enough alone, I can finally take my shower,'_ Ami thought, completely angry as she started to run the water to her bath.

.:.

"Is the Machine ready?" Hojo asked one of his aides who was walking into the lab.

"Yes, Professor. It's going through its warm-up sequence," the aide replied.

"Excellent. Make sure that President Shinra is alerted to the status of the Machine," Hojo stated, grinning.

"You do know that there's a high likelihood that the Machine won't summon anything at all," Professor Gast warned over the radio.

"If anything is summoned, SOLDIER will benefit from it," Hojo stated.

Gast only shook his head, knowing sometimes Hojo had to learn about risks on his own.

.:.

"President, the Machine is going through its warm-up sequence," a scientist stated.

"Excellent."

.:.

"C'mon already!" Zack exclaimed, "how long do they expect us to wait?"

"However long it takes for the Machine to warm-up and do whatever it's supposed to do," Angeal replied, smiling at his young pupil while the SOLDIERs around them were shifting their weight around, trying everything to abate boredom.

However, the small group of SOLDIERs stood at attention when a black-clad man strode into the room. Everyone in the city of Midgar knew who the man was. _What's Sephiroth doing here?_ Zack pondered as Angeal and a red-clad man in the group merely nodded in respect. That alone caused Zack to wonder. _Do they know Sephiroth? _Behind Sephiroth marched in Hojo and a group of scientists who walked to the controls of the mechanical chimera of a machine. They saw Sephiroth scoff at the x made of blue tape that was placed to signify where they expected any otherworldly guests to show up.

No one really understood why Sephiroth stood five feet to the right of the tape, facing the tape. Some say that he was prepared in case the guest would be hostile. Others say that he was fearless and was proving it to everyone in the room. Whatever the case, he stood there as serene as if made from stone as the machine started to make its ominous growl. Everyone in the room could feel expectations rise as the air became charged and smelled like the wind usually did before a rain storm.

.:.

Ami sat back in the tub overfilling with steaming hot water, feeling all the stress melting away with her lavender bath salts. She let out a sigh as the room was already mostly hidden in the steam from her bath. She settled deeper into the tub, the water rising to her chin as she rested her neck against the back of the tub and closed her eyes.

_'This is the life,'_ Ami thought to herself, feeling everything melting away except the sharp, sizzling pain and the thunder.

What she wasn't aware of was the room becoming more and more clouded by mist before she felt like she was falling before her and her bathwater landed on a cold linoleum floor. Her eyes jolted open as the mist slowly cleared. She looked around the room, seeing that the room was almost full of men and she knew she was naked.

She knew that they all already had an eye full, so any attempt at modesty was long gone. Not that she was ever modest after the age of seventeen. She wasn't an exhibitionist, but knew when modesty was a moot point. Like that very moment. Besides, this just had to be a dream. How else could one explain how she was in her tub one moment and the next, she was there, in some room in only god knows where with all sorts of muscular men eying her like a lion eyes a gazelle.

Her eyes turned to the closest man, one who wore what she would call fetish armor, holding what looked to be a seven foot sword and had hip-length silver hair. She recognized him from a video game series she once played and frowned.

"What the fu-" she trailed off in surprise as she stood up, noticing that the man was blushing.

She quickly looked around, seeing that some of the men were either blushing and diverting their eyes or were blushing and eying her, almost like they were etching her body into their minds. Such reactions made her feel stronger, more powerful. She wondered idly if she shot them a practiced smile if they would just melt into a pile of goo.

Unable to resist, she just had to do her sweet smile at them, seeing that they must have been really starved for action to nearly swoon over her of all people.

"I would appreciate it if you can limit the amount of female wiles you inflict on my men," the white haired man said sternly, his face and voice devoid of emotion.

"It would be harder to do so if they weren't so starved for action," Ami stated in a similar tone, her voice becoming as emotionless as the man who regarded her.

"Here," a studious elder man who wore a lab coat and gave her all sorts of heebie jeebies said, handing her a robe.

She recognized him too and lowered a glare at the man she knew was Dr. Hojo before snatching it from Hojo's grip.

"I assume this is just one crazy dream and I'm not really here," Ami stated, covering her cooling skin with the robe.

"I'm quite sure that this is quite real, miss. It was my machine that brought you here," Hojo said.

"Then won't you be so kind to send me back?" Ami said, her tone pleasant, her eyes showing that her words were a threat.

She could tell how Hojo backed away like a frightened mouse that the man got the hidden message.

"I'm sorry but it doesn't work that way," Hojo said timidly.

"You better make it work that way before I have my way with you," she said, her voice low and emotionless, her eyes narrowing in a near-laser-ish way.

Hojo found himself relieved that she couldn't produce laser eye beams or else he just might be dead. He found himself wondering how this woman could be different from the humans of this world- after all, she looked perfectly human. Well, except that she looked quite masculine except for her obvious womanly parts. He couldn't help but to think that she was the opposite of Sephiroth- where Sephiroth was an almost effeminate male, she was a rather masculine female. But they both seemed to be skilled at controlling their emotions and at the art of the death glare. That led to a train of thought of what would happen if they were to be bred- assuming of course that the woman had something that made her a desirable breeding partner with Sephiroth.

"I can't allow you to harm anyone here," Ami heard right after she threatened Hojo.

She found that her standard reply came jumping out of her mouth fully-formed before realizing that it would be the absolute worst thing to say.

"Yeah. You an' what army?" Ami asked in a tone that those close to her would say belligerent, but it was nearly emotionless.

She cringed inwardly until she saw Sephiroth almost smirking. He was obviously quite amused at her. It was a good thing that he seemed to have a sense of humor as shown by what he then said and did.

"That army, actually," Sephiroth said, his tone and expression amused as he motioned to the crowd of uniformed men.

"Right," Ami said, still shocked at how her usual challenge to authority jumped out of her lips before composing herself, "I still wanna go back."

"I'm sorry but you're stuck here," Hojo said moments before she grabbed him by his lab coat before he could get out of her reach.

"What? You _will _take me back. _Or else_," she said, almost losing control of her rage.

"Let him go before I make you," Sephiroth warned, his breath hitting her ear as she could feel cold metal go through the robe to poke her skin.

"You're only so tough because of that sword," Ami stated, her hands letting go of Hojo's lab coat, "without it, I bet you're just a white-haired weakling. After all, only those that are weak rely on weapons-."

Before she knew it, she found herself sliding on the linoleum. Only half a second after she realized that she was on the ground did her shoulder start to erupt in pain. She looked up to see Sephiroth staring at her, one hand holding Masamune, the other was balled into a fist. And all she could do was stare dumbly as he smirked at her.

"Still think I'm weak?" Sephiroth asked, walking towards her.

She couldn't trust her mouth to keep her from getting killed and looked up at Sephiroth. Even she knew that she had to look terrified as Masamune was pointed at her, the tip close enough to her nose that she swore she could feel the cold steel. She couldn't help but to look up the sword's length and straight to him before shaking her head side to side, careful of the sword.

"Well?" Sephiroth verbally prodded, the sword coming closer, making her scrabble backwards.

"No...you're not weak," Ami said, looking down at the sword, not knowing if she was going to be skewered or not.

"I hope you didn't cause irreparable damage to the girl," Hojo stated, coming into her view.

"I've done more damage to myself than he has. It was just enough to knock me 'round," Ami said quietly.

"He could have shattered your shoulder," Hojo stated.

"Can't shatter titanium," Ami said, "dent it, yes. Shatter it, no."

She looked up to see startled looks on both Hojo and Sephiroth's faces.

"It sounds like once we get you to the lab, we're going to have to go over your medical history," Hojo stated, almost gleefully before turning to Sephiroth, "take her to Examination Room Seven. I will be there shortly."

Sephiroth did a curt nod before moving Masamune out of Ami's face.

"Get up or I make you," she heard Sephiroth say, sounding all kinds of stern and taciturn.

Ami almost caught herself getting up before deciding to be difficult since it was clear that Hojo wanted her alive. Which meant she could annoy Sephiroth as much as she wanted and the most he could do was hit her. It gave her an advantage.

"You're not the boss of me," Ami said, looking at Sephiroth, glaring at him.

"I am now. Now stand up."

"Go bite a rock. I've got no reason to listen to ya. Ya can't kill me with your pointy sword, let alone hurt me," Ami said, "not without the good doctor over there having an aneurysm while screaming atcha."

"And my men has their guns loaded with tranquilizer darts. Do you want to walk there or be carried there unconscious?" Sephiroth asked before saying, "and I can't guarantee what they might do to you behind my back."

Ami shot him a venomous glare before standing up. Once she was standing, Ami could feel a hand grab her shoulder solidly and she was forcibly frog-marched out of the room. Of course, due to the fact that she had always had authority issues, she was doing what she could to slow down, stall, or escape. And what bothered her the most was that he obviously knew each and every trick in her book of tricks.

"How the hell d'ya know each trick?" Ami asked as she was led into an elevator.

"I used to try every single trick when I was younger," Sephiroth stated evenly.

"I might just surprise ya," Ami said, feeling the constant presence of Sephiroth's hand on her shoulder.

"If you don't stop with your futile foolishness, I know of ways to make you hurt without causing irreparable damage," he said with clear menace in his voice.

"Why are ya even following that mad scientist's orders? Has he really gotcha that well trained?" Ami asked, finding that he slowly applied pressure to the shoulder he had punched minutes ago, making her let out a small squeal of pain.

"I'm not enjoying the fact that I'm inflicting Hojo on someone who's biggest flaws that I can see is a big mouth and authority issues," Sephiroth said.

"Wow. I wonder if I can have Hojo train my troublesome puppy since he managed to train ya so we-ow!" Ami said before silenced by pressure being applied to her shoulder.

"I'm starting to think a few years in Hojo's care might fix a few of your flaws."

"Why? It hasn't fixed yours," Ami spat back, "personally, I think he might have caused a good many of yours."

"How do you know so much?" Sephiroth asked, curious amusement in his voice.

"Stories of this world. In them, you're seen as either a great swordsman or a psychopath with mother issues and a god complex. Depends on opinion of those who know the story," Ami said with a shrug.

"I know perfectly well that I'm no god," Sephiroth said, "but what was your opinion, I wonder."

"My opinion was that you were only badass because of the Masamune," Ami said.

"And I assume your opinion has changed?" Sephiroth asked.

"I can't say they haven't. Now I'm of the opinion that you're an emotionally unstable psychopath who is enjoying tormenting a poor woman an' practically gift-wrapping her to hand over to Hojo to do god-knows-what to her. From the stories fans of the stories have written, they've portrayed ya as a tough but fair commander who usually teach through the school of making those who screw up scared shitless with a single glare."

"That sounds about right," Sephiroth stated, obviously amused.

"And to think, that's maybe a small fraction of fan-made stories," Ami said as the doors opened and she was marched out of the elevator and down the hall.

"And the others?" Sephiroth asked.

"Usually involves ya doing the dirty with members of either gender. Usually other men, actually," Ami said.

"Hmph. I assure you, I'm not interested in either gender," Sephiroth stated.

"So ya say," Ami said before she felt pain erupt from her shoulder, "not that it doesn't hurt, but I've been through worse."

"Hm?" Sephiroth asked.

"Two words: wisdom teeth."

"Which are?" Sephiroth asked.

"Don't ya guys form a third molar that usually grows so unusual that it needs to be removed usually between the ages of sixteen and twenty?"

"Can't speak for everyone, but no one I've known had ever had what you're explaining."

"Ah. Lucky. The third molars are known as Wisdom Teeth since they appear near the age of eighteen which used to be seen as the age of wisdom. Usually, any patient who gets them removed usually look forward to a liquid diet for two days, Codeine for a week, no drinking from straws for two weeks. My jaw hasn't felt the same since."

"Sounds like quite an interesting experience."

"I was knocked out with somethin' that made me loopy. My dad use'ta say that if he hadn't been there to see me goin' into the dentist's, he'd have thought I was drinkin' again," Ami said before frowning as she was marched into the lab.

She watched as Hollander and Ghast looked at her with a pleasant enough demeanor.

"Hojo sent up word to us to go through your past medical history," Hollander said.

"I assume I'm to make sure that she behaves and doesn't hurt anyone," Sephiroth stated.

"It seems like the best bet," Ghast said, "we're not sure if she's dangerous alone."

"Wimps. I use'ta beat up geeks like ya all for lunch money," Ami stated with a sneer before Sephiroth increased the pressure on her shoulder.

She wouldn't be too surprised if she was found to have a bruised or fractured shoulder. All courtesy of the local troubled bishonen swordmaster who was also all too obviously a psychopath in her mind. She bit back any sound of pain, instead shooting a glare at Sephiroth. Right before she felt him slap her.

"I can and will slap any glares at me off your face," he stated, "don't forget who's your better."

"That would be no one, right?" she bit back after spitting out a bit of blood, seeing one of her teeth on the floor, "an' I liked that tooth."

"You should have thought at that before-" Sephiroth stated right before Hojo walked in and saw the blood and the tooth before looking at the girl with a split lip and an angry Sephiroth.

"What the-! DID I NOT MAKE MYSELF CLEAR?" Hojo shrilly screamed at Sephiroth.

"She's alive," Sephiroth stated coolly.

"But look at her! She looks like you just hit her again!" Hojo screamed.

"Hojo, he did just hit her again." Hollander said.

"You!" Hojo started, screaming and pointing at Sephiroth as a vein popped out on his forehead before pointing to the door, screaming, "get out! Stand outside and keep her in!"

Sephiroth squeezed her wounded shoulder one last time, letting go once she let out a cry of pain before letting go and striding outside of the room. He was quite aware of twin glares focusing on his back before he left the room.

.:.

Author's Note: 12/9/10

Well, after having a crap-tastic day and finding out that the college I'm still trying to get into have a group of bureaucratic paperwork ninjas for Financial Aid workers, it looks like my hope of enrolling in January isn't going to happen. I had my hopes up and they came crashing down. So I focused on this.

First of all, I apologize for not working on this for years. It took me this long to lick my wounds and climb out of my rut following my dad's death. Some of the emo-ness may be echoed in my work. Or it might not. Who knows.

I decided that since I haven't worked on this for years but I've continued to write since, I realized that BtV as a whole could use some polish. What really convinced me to rewrite this was that I found a handwritten version of Chapters Two and Three that was originally my inspiration of doing this kind of fic. And what I realized was that the Ami of those chapters is completely different of little rich brat Ami. The Ami of the written chapters was a little punk that was streetwise and had stories that wouldn't have happened to the little rich Ami. So I decided to change Ami back to who I originally imagined her to be.

I figure if enough people flame me for it, I'll just change it back or something.

Also, I felt that the extra props from Earth was really lazy writing on my part and was a really cheap thing to do on my part and I decided that she shouldn't have that much on her person. In fact, I decided she would appear in Gaia without even clothes- nothing to really cement her identity other than her reaction.

I also want to explain a bit behind Sephiroth's action of hurting her one last time. I know it was very sadistic, but if someone treated you like Ami has treated Sephiroth, wouldn't you want to inflict pain on them just to see them in a weaker position? It just sounded like a Sephy-ish thing to do. He'd see her as an upstart who thinks she's better than him and he's just trying to teach her through the school of hard knocks that here on Gaia, she's not better than he is. He seems like a character to have multiple reasons to do something.

And I just realized something- whenever Ami meets Reno, all heck's gonna break loose. At least Sephy already has white hair so when the two of them ever team up to cause havoc (a match made down under and I don't mean Australia), they can't give poor Sephy gray hairs. I just can see them teaming up just to annoy Sephy up until he lowers his death glare of doom.

I've also realized that I've found two songs that would fit as her theme song- _Post-Apocalypse Punk_ and _Victorian Vigilante _both by Abney Park (a steampunk band). It kinda fits cause FF7 is pretty close to steampunk as far as technology goes.

Laters!

~Gregora

Next time on BtV: Sephiroth gets a call to the labs and finds out more about the mysterious woman. What secrets might he discover about the woman?


	2. Chapter 1

Beyond the Veil

Disclaimer: I only own Ami-kun, the rest of everything is owned by other people, mostly Square-Enix. I'd like to thank everyone who has sent me feedback on this fic- you've all helped me out.

Chapter One

Sephiroth was glad once the dark haired pain in his rear was handed off to the scientists. Maybe being around Hojo for a while might just teach her some humility and just might temper her from being a punk to maybe something a bit more reasonable. _'Or it might make her completely insane,'_ he mused as he had walked away from the labs. Still, he felt bad that she was probably go through a torturous existence up until she found her way out of the labs.

It had been four months since the nuisance of a woman was yanked from her world into the hands of the scientists and he was surprised over the silence in the labs. Especially since Hojo had continually tried to get him into the labs before the incident. And then the scientist had just about ignored his existence. _'Maybe Hojo just needs to be continually given more specimens each time he gets bored of them,'_ he mused before his PHS rang.

He flipped it open, expecting it to be Director Lazard informing him that he was going to be sent back to Wutai to go back to the front lines. However, his expectations turned out to be stuff of his dreams as he quickly found out that it was Hojo.

"I want you to come up for your quarterly physical," Hojo stated over what sounded like a piano playing loudly.

The piano was playing what sounded like a waltz of sorts that was pleasant and uplifting. Even with his sensitive hearing, he could tell whoever it was knew the song very well and had practiced it constantly. He was half tempted to go up to the labs if only to find out how they managed to get a piano up there for one thing and for another, who it was playing. He knew very well that Hojo liked to make sure that his experiments were well-rounded with their knowledge and abilities. He realized that it had to be Ami on the piano since he knew full well that she was the only human other than scientists on that level.

"Very well," he replied, knowing that there was barely a wait for Hojo to get his answer.

.:.

Ami had assumed that since no one had ever bothered her while she was playing on the musical keyboard that she was safe to just close her eyes and lose herself while playing the one song that had spurned her on to learn to play the piano- a song called Merry go round of life, otherwise known as the theme from Howl's Moving Castle. In the time since, she had actually memorized that song and each note came naturally to her.

She, of course, was wrong in thinking that this time, much like the previous times, that she would be left alone and ignored. Instead, she was startled once she finished the song.

"And here I thought you had no talents other than being an insufferable pain in the ass," a calm masculine voice said, his words tinged with amusement.

"If you think you've figured me out, I may just yet surprise you," she replied.

"I know I haven't fully figured out your skill set yet."

She had to scoff at his words, causing him to let out a questioning hum.

"There's more to me than just a bundle of skills."

"True, but that's all I'll ever see you as other than being insufferable."

"You're quite insufferable yourself. You think you're better than everyone else."

"That's because I am," he said, his voice turning dark and sinister.

"Not where it counts," she replied, her tone blase, "strength of the body is a fleeting thing. Soon even you too will eventually find your body growing weaker in old age."

"It's all that has ever mattered."

"Not in my experience. What really matters is the strength of one's personality. That is what will stand the test of time."

"Hmph," he scoffed as he stared at her, "what makes you think that?"

"Everyone leaves loved ones behind. They don't think of body strength as much as they do personality. I only remember my father through his personality- things he used to do, only remembering his body strength when that gave out and he was put into a wheelchair," she said quietly.

"So, your father passed on," he said quietly.

"A while ago, yes. When he got sicker and sicker, my music helped a little. Used to make him smile," she said, her voice breaking with the emotions.

"What is it like?"

"What?"

"What is it like having real parents that care?"

She chuckled as she turned to face him.

"I only had one. I guess we both know what it's like to not have a mother," she said, "my dad...he was all that I had, really. He was the guiding light in my life."

"Hmph," was all that Sephiroth said before saying, "if you had such a lovely family, then-"

"Why am I a punk?" Ami asked, interrupting Sephiroth, "variety of reasons. I could never have been able to avoid fights or else I would have been killed while walking between my old home and my school. I couldn't simply have been full defensive or the gangs and other punks would have seen me as a target. By seeking out the strongest person in the gang and beating them until they were nearly bleeding to death, I was feared and subsequently left alone."

"Which is why you were trying to instigate a fight with me," Sephiroth stated.

Ami only gave him a dark grin, one that he recognized as one he saw many men on the front lines wear to scare the crap of anyone unlucky to face them on the battlefield.

.:.

Sephiroth sat on the top of the Shinra building with Genesis to one side and Angeal to the other. Between them was a six pack of booze. Genesis knocked back a can before looking at Sephiroth.

"I heard you went to the Sci level," Genesis said.

Angeal raised an eyebrow at Sephiroth.

"Yes. Quarterly exam," he said with a shiver before the other two shivered as well, "and I saw the girl from the other world."

Angeal's other eyebrow raised as he paused in his sipping of his alcohol.

"She's a rather demonic punk," Sephiroth stated.

Both of the men's mouths curved in amusement.

"If I hadn't known better, I'd say that she scared you," Angeal said, obviously goading the white-haired man.

"Is the great hero Sephiroth getting soft from having been pulled away from the front lines?" Genesis asked, joining in goading the man who had been their best friend.

"Of course not," Sephiroth stated, almost sounding indignant, "just imagine someone like her giving a dark smirk not unlike the one that Herrick had before charging into that Wutai stronghold."

"You mean that dark, bloodthirsty grin?" Genesis asked, getting a curt nod from Sephiroth.

"Oh dear Minerva," Angeal muttered under his breath before sipping from his can.

"So are we going to let her rot in that cell?" Genesis asked with a frown, "we all have gone through similar experiences being experiments."

"Besides, she does seem to have an attitude that would make her fit into SOLDIER well. Especially how she managed to point out the strongest one in the room," Angeal said.

"I can see her more of a Turk," Sephiroth stated with a frown.

"I think you don't want her in SOLDIER just because you think you'll throttle her. Or have all of the men throttle her," Genesis stated with a smirk.

"I can see her managing to play every man against each other using her feminine wiles. If she was to join SOLDIER, she would have to be housed with someone who won't fall for her obvious ploys," Sephiroth stated.

He didn't know whether to be surprised or annoyed when his two best friends looked at him with an expectant look. Almost like they singled him out.

"Hn?"

"Sephiroth, I mean no disrespect, but seeing as how you hang around us more than you screw women, you come off as a flaming fruit," Genesis said with a smile.

"Flaming...fruit." Sephiroth said, his voice pondering the words that came out slowly and eloquently.

"Another way of saying 'gay'," Angeal stated.

Sephiroth downed the rest of the contents of his can of booze, looking like he was holding onto his self control and not shout in a fit of anger.

"I am not gay. I have no interest in men," Sephiroth stated.

"Are you sure?" Genesis said, leaning towards Sephiroth and batting his eyes at the silver-haired man.

"Get away!" Sephiroth jokingly said, gently pushing Genesis off of him.

"Then why is it that you showed little to no reaction to the otherworldly woman who arrived in her birthday suit?" Angeal said, obviously jokingly goading.

"The question is, if you spout honor so much, why are you going against honor by teaming up on me?" Sephiroth asked, "besides, I am in no way interested in a little insufferable punk."

"Actually, she's much taller than the female average," Genesis said with a smirk.

The three First Class SOLDIERs' PHSes beeped, obviously an alarm clock.

"Good night Angeal, Sephiroth," Genesis said, nodding to both of his friends before going to the door to the stairway down.

"Night Genesis," both Sephiroth and Angeal stated before Genesis left.

"See you in the morning, Sephiroth," Angeal stated.

"Same to you, Angeal," Sephiroth replied before cleaning up the empty cans, obviously feeling just a little buzzed.

.:.

Author's Note: 12/11/10

Heyas all. Gregora here. Most of this was actually written during playing Amber Diceless RPG. I've had a horrendous week, all culminating with my finding out that my entrance into college is being set back yet another quarter.

As for Ami and her being able to have memorized only a handful of songs on a piano, one of which she wanted to learn piano just to play, it didn't sound a very useful skill other than to show that Hojo encourages learning music as far as his specimens go. That and it can potentially break the ice between the two who are rather cold characters.

And as far as the scene with Sephiroth, Genesis, and Angeal, my intention was to show those three as three peas in a pod and just a group of guys. Sephiroth has long since getting used to the joking of those two and feels secure with these two. Such a thing is mirrored in Crisis Core in the flashback with those three just hanging out, Sephiroth showed emotion around Genesis and Angeal just by the mannerisms. Like how he showed his dry sense of humor (and since I also have a dry of humor, I caught on real quick). So since it's been my intention to show each and every character as having real emotions, real motivations, as well as failings (Sephiroth's being short temper, wrathful, and a case of egoism bordering on arrogance while Genesis' being envy/jealousy, huge temper and not as much self-control as Sephiroth. I see Angeal as being "cheap", pessimistic, and prideful.). When I realized their biggest downfalls, it hit me that three of the "7 sins" are covered by these three. I can see Ami's biggest downfall being either lust or greed, if not sloth. Of course, Reno's could possibly be sloth (aka laziness).

Talking about Reno, I'm really unsure of when in the timeline that Reno joined the Turks. But I figure that Sephiroth, even if he is in charge of the majority of SOLDIER, he still would have to answer to Lazard, director of SOLDIER.

What's kind of depressing is that I know I'll wind up writing Sephiroth as being betrayed when/if the mass desertion of SOLDIER happens. I mean, both of his closest friends pretty much betray him. It just can't be very good for his already shaky mental health.

Well, I'll see about making a nice cushion of a few chapters before posting more of them. That may mean that they'll be a short hiatus. I hope no one would mind.

Laters!

~Gregora

Net time on BtV: While everyone was asleep, it seems that something has befallen the many different specimens on the science lab. Why? Who did it? Answers and more in the next chapter!


	3. Chapter 2

Beyond the Veil

Disclaimer: I only own Ami-kun, the rest of everything is owned by other people, mostly Square-Enix. I'd like to thank everyone who has sent me feedback on this fic- you've all helped me out.

Chapter Two

Sephiroth woke up to his PHS ringing off the hook. At first, he thought it was in his dream before realizing that his PHS was really indeed ringing. He laid in bed, still weighed down by his sleepiness that was partially aided by the three cans of beer he had consumed nearly five hours prior. He really didn't want to get up, but he forced himself to stand up, even if his muscles felt sluggish and tired.

"I assume there's a good reason why I'm being called at nine after three in the morning," Sephiroth growled into the phone.

"Of course there is! The specimens are missing! Do you understand what I'm saying or do I have to spell it out to you?" Hojo positively screamed into the PHS.

Inwardly, he was glad Hojo was having an aneurysm at someone else's expense. If he were to ever meet whoever pulled it off, he would mentally give them kudos for giving Hojo a bad day. Minerva knew the scientist deserved as many bad days as he could get.

"So what can I do to help? Watch them run off into the night?" Sephiroth stated.

"That already has happened. Apparently, the night watch was knocked out, bound, and gagged. Apparently, the escape happened hours ago," Hojo stated angrily.

"If you need anyone to hunt them down, I believe Turks would be more suitable," Sephiroth stated.

"Yes, but they've yet to find the Ancient and it's been years. They're hardly skilled enough to find each and every specimen, let alone the one who goes by Ami," Hojo stated.

"I assume that would be the insufferable woman," Sephiroth stated.

"If you mean the woman from another world, then yes," Hojo stated.

"And you want me to find her?" Sephiroth asked.

"Yes. As well as possible," Hojo stated, "she has the strength of a new Second Class."

"Then she should be able to take care of herself," Sephiroth stated.

"I don't know if it's safe to be out and away from supervision this soon," Hojo stated.

"Have you cleared this with Director Lazard?" Sephiroth asked, amused.

"He doesn't factor in this," Hojo stated.

"Then I'll go back to bed then. You have no command of me, Hojo. Not anymore," Sephiroth stated with a tone that only those closest to him would tell that he was smug.

"Fine," Hojo replied sharply, hanging up.

Sephiroth sighed as he hung up and glanced at the clock before yawning. He could have agreed to the milk run of a mission, snagging up the experiments that were unfortunate to not have been put out of their misery swiftly and painlessly at his hand. For all he knew, it could be the mission to send Lazard the message that he should be on the front lines, not playing pretty pin-up boy and being treated like a model rather than the warrior he had been before Wutai.

And he had turned down something that might lead him back to the front lines. All because of his pride that Hojo couldn't touch him. Or boss him around unduly.

_'Maybe I'll be lucky and that insufferable woman met up with one of Hojo's less human specimens and met an untimely end,'_ he thought to himself as his head hit his pillow.

It was then that two things happened almost simultaneously. One being that he wasn't going to be able to get back to sleep. The second was that his PHS was ringing again. _'Midgar Central Station,'_ he thought ruefully to himself before promptly answering the PHS.

"Sephiroth here," he answered.

"This is Lazard. I've got an assignment for you that might just be a bit too easy for you. Hojo's specimens have gotten loose and are running wild in Midgar."

"Hojo put you up to this."

"Hardly. I just feel that the public needs to see more of the Great Hero. After all, need I remind you that you're Shinra's poster boy and what the Midgarian public has decided to be the most eligible bachelor in all of Midgar?"

"Who else will be involved in this mission?" Sephiroth asked.

"SOLDIER First Class Angeal Hewley and Genesis Rhapsodos as well as SOLDIER Second Class Zack Fair," Lazard stated.

"Hn."

"They've informed me that they will be calling you shortly," Lazard stated as Sephiroth could hear beeping that said that another call was incoming.

"Very well. They're calling me now. I will report to you once this is completed," Sephiroth stated before hanging up and answering the waiting call.

"Hey. We're at your door. Mind letting us in?" Genesis stated, "We got a bit of breakfast for us all to enjoy before we go hunting."

"I will open the door shortly," Sephiroth stated before hanging up and slipping on the pants he usually wore as part of his battle dress.

When he opened the door, he was greeted by the scent of fast food and the sound of the three men laughing.

"Morning Sephy!" Genesis exclaimed in greeting.

"I've told you never to call me that, Genesis," Sephiroth stated with clear disdain before moving to the side as a cue to let the three men in, "I figure that during our breakfast, we would discuss logistics."

The three men walked in. Genesis and Angeal had seen his apartment before. Zack, not having had the opportunity to even speak to his hero before let alone step into the man's apartment, he was taking in the sight for the first time. He couldn't help but to let out a low whistle.

"Nice pad you got here," Zack stated in awe.

"Thank you. You must be Angeal's puppy," Sephiroth stated with a smirk.

"Angeal's...puppy?" Zack asked, looking at his mentor, "you mentioned me?"

"At great length, describing you as being as rambunctious and hyper as a puppy," Genesis stated.

.:.

Ami ran through the streets, a creature looking like a mix of feline and canine running next to her. The creature had a flaming tail, orange fur, and a brand on a shoulder that she recognized as the roman numeral thirteen. Behind them was an absolute stampede of creatures, some were fellow experiments that had seen her and her companion as breakfast. Others in the stampede were just ordinary monsters that also thought that they would make a good breakfast. She frowned the moment that she realized that they were cornered into a dead end.

With a sigh, she stopped and turned around. Her mako eyes burned brilliantly as if her eyes were orbs of blue-green fire. Her companion looked at her oddly.

"Get behind me. If I'm to die, it won't be running and cowering," Ami stated before darkly grinning, "When I die, I'l die fighting tooth and nail."

Ami clenched her fists, ready to fight something that looked to her like it had started life as three different creatures before being combined into a chimera of sorts, reminding her of the mythical beast Cerberus. It looked like a behemoth that had a chocobo head rising from behind its head and something else that she couldn't recognize that was very similar to her companion but was jet black.

"I'm not as useless as you think I am," her companion said, looking to her.

She nodded as her companion padded to stand next to her and the creature was close enough to take a swipe at her. She jumped up, narrowly dodging the attack and kicked its frontmost head with all the strength she could muster. It let out a howl of pain as she somersaulted through the air and landed on her feet. It roared and was about to trample her and her companion before it screamed as the point of a sword emerged from its chest.

She knew the sword just from its slanted point and the fact that one side of the blade was sharp while the other was dull and flat. And she knew that the creature had to have the thickness of about five feet easy in its chest and a good foot was exposed to her. The blade withdrew as the owner of said blade appeared, walking over the beast like it was a rug, holding his blade in one hand.

"Hmph. You're cornered," he stated.

"Took you that long to figure that out? I guess in order to grow actual muscles, brain development has gotta be stunted then," she stated, blase.

Just moments before finding the point of the Masamune less than an inch from her neck. Driven by instinct, she backed up, just a little intimidated by the sword. She watched as her step backward was mirrored by the white haired man whose eyes glowed as if they were orbs of fire as hers died down of their own volition.

"There are two outcomes to this situation. You can insult me one more time and find yourself with my sword going through you like butter, or you can realize that I've had enough and you keep your mouth closed," he stated, his tone dark and more than a little menacing as his expression told her that he would enjoy killing her.

She came up with another plan. She grinned inwardly as she realized that her companion was already terrified. Perfect. Ami gaped, staring at the empty air behind Sephiroth. She knew how to let her eyes focus to make it look like she really was seeing something.

"Look out! Behind you!" Ami exclaimed in terror.

Sephiroth whirled around, seeing empty air. He let out a sigh. She was good at playing men for fools, and he had just been made a fool of. He turned around, knowing that she wasn't where she had been. In fact, she and her companion were well out of sight. Oh yes, Hojo would be absolutely livid and both Angeal and Genesis would never let him live it down. Assuming he ever told them.

_'Stupid! That beast was merely one of the weaker specimens you had set free in Midgar,' _he thought to himself as he walked down the street, continuing his patrol, knowing that there were other branches of the Company that were working to secure Midgar, only just his four comrades being the SOLDIERs assigned to the clean up.

.:.

"This is the way out of Midgar, Red," Ami said, turning to look at Red XIII, the only other experiment that she had been around and had bonded with on a friendly level.

"Why don't you come with me?" Red XIII asked.

"Because I know that Mr. Pretty Boy will most likely chase me to the ends of the Planet and most likely run me through with that sword of his for making him chase me to the ends of the Planet. But I do hope to run into you in the future and not in Hojo's lab," Ami said.

"I have little need to chase you to the ends of the Planet when I've already caught you," a voice said from behind her, sounding amused, words tinged with menace and annoyance.

Ami flinched and looked to Red XIII.

"Go!" Ami exclaimed, getting a nod as Red XIII ran from sight and she turned to face Sephiroth.

"You're coming with me," Sephiroth almost growled at her from five feet away from her.

She watched, rooted to where she stood as a massive creature stalked behind Sephiroth before turning and approaching them silently. All she could do was gape as the creature approached, the bare lighting not even enough to allow shadows to form underneath the beast. She watched as he shook his head elegantly.

"As Angeal would say, 'fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, shame on me'," Sephiroth stated moments before he went flying into a pile of scrap, dislodging a three foot long length of pipe.

"Thanks for providing me with a weapon. I knew you was useful for somethin'," Ami snarkily said as she held up the pipe like it was a samurai sword as the beast closed in.

"Don't mention it. I'm glad I provided such an important service to you," Sephiroth said in a deadpan voice that matched his expression as he stood next to her.

The beast looked massive, looking like a blue-grey leonine creature with a splash of orange hair on top of its head and great curving horns. Sephiroth scoffed and stood back.

"What?" Ami asked, jumping out of the way of a slash that was aimed at her.

"This is below my abilities," Sephiroth stated, "It shouldn't prove to be too difficult for someone who seems to think that they are stronger than I am."

Ami nervously shot Sephiroth a look while Sephiroth had found a bench to watch and gave her a smirk. She knew what the smirk meant. It was a smirk that said something similar to the old cliche involving making beds or something that meant that she spoke big and it was time to show what she was capable of.

The beast swiped at her and she rolled to the side and counterattacked, hitting the beast on the snout before jumping back to avoid a similar counterattack. Instead, the beast roared in pain before glaring at Ami whose mako eyes were ablaze with what people would see as an inferno of determination. _'I gotta shut that cocky and arrogant jerk's mouth by showing him up.'_ The beast looked like it was about to charge at her and she jumped, not realizing that due to her enhanced strength, she round up jumping a good ten feet into the air. As she came soaring down to the ground, she saw that the beast's skull would be directly underneath her. This gave her an opening to maybe crush its skull with her weight on one point of the pipe, maybe enough to kill it through brain damage.

She saw that the pipe had an elbow joint on the other end and twirled it so that her left foot was resting on the joint and the other foot was ready to help her leap once all of her weight on the pipe did its damage. She heard a massive crunch and felt warm liquid spray up and something cushioned her impact. She knew that if she looked down, she would have nightmares.

She felt the beast fall and knew that whatever she was standing in was too soft to allow her to jump. So she rode the beast's fall upon its head and stepped off, knowing that the sneakers she was wearing was going to need to come off and without her looking at or touching them. She just felt sick- she was used to see animals as road kill and had dissected an animal's brain in high school. But this was just levels of nasty beyond that.

"I saw it land over here!" Ami heard a masculine voice call out before seeing a man with spiky black hair.

"What the-?" the man exclaimed, staring at the beast that had just recently been dealt with before the beast was absorbed by the lifestream.

"That was entirely me," Ami said, obviously proud of herself.

"Hmph. Anyone in SOLDIER could have taken it on," Sephiroth stated.

"Then why did you have me fight that thing?" Ami asked.

"Testing your skill. Perhaps you might just make a halfway decent SOLDIER yet."

"I'll show you halfway decent! I'll be the best SOLDIER ever! Better than you are!"

"If you can keep that attitude going, you might instead just be decent."

"What's going on, Zack?" Angeal asked.

"Looks like Seph is arguing with that chick. Again," Zack replied as Ami brandished her metal pipe at Sephiroth, looking like she was going to hit him over the head with it.

"She's going to have to learn that ticking him off may not be the healthiest action there is," Angeal stated, chuckling at the sight as he caught Sephiroth slicing the pipe fast enough that he knew that Ami couldn't have caught the blur of metal.

Ami brought down the pipe, almost like she was carrying through with it, realizing that the pipe that she held in her hands wasn't long enough and the remaining part hit her over the head, causing her to squeal in pain and hold her head.

"Or maybe he'll just get used to it," Genesis said, appearing behind Zack.

Beyond the three SOLDIERs watching Sephiroth deal with Ami was a black car on the nearby street.

"Yes, sir. I saw it with my own two eyes, sir. The girl took down a modified Behemoth with only a metal pipe," the man inside the car said into his PHS.

He wore a blue-black suit and tie with a white shirt underneath. He paused to listen to the man he was talking to. His skin had a slight tan to it, his black hair tied back. He turned to look out of the window, watching Sephiroth put his hand on the young woman's shoulder and squeezed when she failed to comply.

"She is with SOLDIER First Class Sephiroth. Do you wish for me to intercept, sir?" he asked before pausing a moment, "understood."

With that he closed his PHS and looked towards the driver's seat in front of him.

"Reno, let's go back to Headquarters."

.:.

Author's Note: 12/12/10

Well, this chapter is laden with all sorts of cameos and intrigue. I'm making a note here that I've got to (eventually) address how/why every single of Hojo's specimens got loose and why/how Hojo got his grubby hands on multiple Behemoths.

Besides, I think there's just enough mystery here and stuff. But as for who was watching the group, it will have to remain a mystery for now. :D But I feel most of this had to be done just for the randomness of Ami doing the distraction bit and the moment she's not faking, Sephiroth doesn't believe her. He didn't get hurt though. And I can imagine that he'd know a bit about sarcasm.

I also feel the need to apologize- my space bar hasn't been the same for a while and it's steadily getting worse once I got Minecraft. XD So if there's double spaces randomly around the fic, just please pay no attention. I'm lazy. :D

I originally didn't plan on Sephiroth catching up with Ami when she was facing the obviously altered Behemoth, but it popped into my head the moment that World's Enemy started on my general BtV playlist. I feel kinda odd that the playlist is mostly just Abney Park and Crisis Core music. Sometimes the difference is somewhat jarring. Usually, it isn't so I don't mind.

Also, yes I made mention somewhat that Sephiroth was drinking the previous night, but I see it as some sort of daily ritual for the boys. Or maybe just a weekly occurrence. But more than one month has passed between the chapters.

That's all I wanted to mention, so I'll see you next chapter!

~Gregora

Next Time on BtV: Sephiroth is called into Fat Man Shinra's office and finds out that he is to train a potential recruit that the Fat Man wants in SOLDIER. Who is this mysterious recruit and why is President Shinra so anxious to get them into SOLDIER?


	4. Chapter 3

Beyond the Veil

Disclaimer: I only own Ami-kun, the rest of everything is owned by other people, mostly Square-Enix. I'd like to thank everyone who has sent me feedback on this fic- you've all helped me out.

Chapter Three

Ami yelped as she swore she could feel her tenderized shoulder be crushed into dust. She shot Sephiroth a glare, acting completely on impulse. In response, the pressure on her shoulder increased. She realized that this wasn't going to be healthy if she continued. Perhaps one of the white haired man's friends might be able to call him off.

"What's the point you're trying to make by turning my shoulder into paste?" she asked, pain and hostility vying for dominance in her tone.

"That I'm stronger than you," came the reply.

"Fine. I get your point. Want me to kiss your shoes while I'm at it?"

"I think she's had enough," Genesis said with a frown before saying, "if you treat all women like her, no wonder why you're single at our age."

"I have plenty of time to fix my status of being a bachelor. I'm only nineteen," Sephiroth stated.

"In that case, ya gotta start respectin' your elders," Ami stated, "I'm older than you are. I'm twenty-one."

"Respect is a two way street. Besides, you act like a teenager," Sephiroth stated.

"Don't wanna show my age. If I do that, I'll find myself dead before too long," Ami stated.

"I don't think it works like that," Genesis said.

She saw Sephiroth giving her a gaze that said that he connected all the dots about her.

"It's about your father. Isn't it?" Sephiroth asked, "Because he died, you believe that if you continue to be a child, he would be back."

She felt all four eyes fall on her as she broke off all eye contact.

"I don't want to talk about it," she stated quietly.

"You fear your own mortality. You think that maturity means that you wouldn't have to face mortality," Sephiroth continued.

"So you got me all figured out, haven't you," she spat.

"Hardly," he stated before his PHS rang.

He looked to his companions.

"Make sure she doesn't escape," Sephiroth stated, letting go of Ami so he could answer his PHS, "Sephiroth."

Ami didn't look at anyone as she heard Sephiroth reply, "yes, sir."

She heard a beep and a rustle of clothing before Sephiroth said, "We're to take her to the Briefing Room on the SOLDIER floor to meet with Director Lazard."

"I wonder why. Maybe I'm to enter SOLDIER?" Ami asked.

"Is that hesitation I hear? I remember someone saying that they'll make a better SOLDIER than I. Or perhaps I may have been hearing things," Sephiroth stated, getting a glance from Ami.

He swore he was seeing a fire of determination blazing in her Mako-enhanced eyes.

.:.

The four SOLDIERs and the otherworldly woman walked in. Ami's eyes landed on Lazard within moments of walking into the briefing room. She gave him a respectful nod and a polite smile, her eyes glowing brilliantly with determination. He knew instantly that she had to be in SOLDIER, even without having had been told to give Sephiroth quite an interesting assignment. But this went from feeling pressed into it to a willingness to help someone who would obviously have the skills to be in his little branch of Shinra.

"You must be Miss Durrell," Lazard said politely and businesslike.

"That I am, Director Lazard," Ami stated politely and calmly.

"Please have a seat," Lazard said before turning to the four men, "All but Sephiroth may leave."

Ami looked at Lazard with a raised eyebrow, knowing that Sephiroth was most likely mirroring her expression judging by Lazard's lengthening smile as Genesis, Zack, and Angeal walked out of the room.

"Please, take a seat," Lazard said.

"May I ask why I was asked to remain?" Sephiroth asked.

"Yes, you may. As soon as the massive escape of the specimens from the Science floor, President Shinra sent a Turk to watch each of you," Lazard stated.

"The Turk watching me saw Ami defeat the altered Behemoth," Sephiroth stated.

"Yes. President Shinra got the report and has convinced me to put her name in the next pool of recruits to be tested. However, the President doesn't wish for me to simply bring her into SOLDIER, but wishes to have her go through the proper channels with an exception."

Sephiroth frowned slightly as he let out a small breath before giving a small smile.

"Why do I get the feeling that I'm not going to like this?" Sephiroth asked.

"The exception is what is going to be your next assignment- you are to train Ami in preparation for her SOLDIER entrance exams. Also, you are aware that there are no unoccupied quarters in the building," Lazard said.

"Director, I respectfully decline," Sephiroth stated.

"This isn't something you can decline. This is coming from the President himself. He specifically mentioned that he wanted you to train her as well as house her. For an increase in pay, might I add."

"And when she passes the exams and joins SOLDIER?"

"You will be her mentor and teacher just like Angeal is to Zack."

He turned his head to glare at her. She was still wearing the clothes she had been when she had escaped- thin cotton pants and shirt as well was a pair of sneakers that still had bits of Behemoth brain caked on.

"I will not take any more insults from you without disciplining you," Sephiroth stated.

"Yes sir, Sephiroth sir," Ami said politely if not just a little cheekily.

"Hmph. Quite a cheeky one," Sephiroth stated before turning to Lazard, "fine. I will train her."

The tone Sephiroth said the last sentence in reminded of an episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation when Data had asked Worf to take care of Spot, the cat. The scene ended with Worf saying in an annoyed and deadpan voice 'I will feed him.' Sephiroth's words and tone had brought that scene to mind and made her smirk.

"You are allowed to bring her to the SOLDIER floor to train her while under your supervision," Lazard stated.

Sephiroth nodded curtly, "Of course."

"Dismissed," Lazard said.

Sephiroth stood up and nodded to her and she followed suit and trailed after his footsteps. She was just happy she was free of the scientists and her cage. Half of her was overjoyed at her freedom. However, the other half was making Somehow she got the feeling that she was going to regret this arrangement.

.:.

Ami looked around, unsure of where exactly they were going that involved going outside.

"Where are we going, sensei?" Ami asked.

"First of all, we're going to get you something you can wear that you can fight in. Second of all, what does 'sensei' mean?" Sephiroth asked.

"Sensei is a word in a language from my world that I know snippets of and it can be directly translated to teacher or mentor. It's always used in a polite manner unless context says otherwise," Ami replied.

"It has a similar meaning in Wutaiese," Sephiroth stated.

"So perhaps other languages from my world are mirrored here," Ami stated.

"Perhaps," Sephiroth stated before a taxi pulled up to the curb, "that will be for us."

.:.

Ami fell onto the ground. She could feel the loose gravel dig into her skin and she closed her eyes. Even if it wasn't comfortable, it gave a small respite to her burning muscles.

"I'm regretting this arrangement, Sensei," Ami almost whined, "this is your revenge for everything I've ever said to you, ain't it?"

"No. I've yet to enact any amount of revenge upon you," Sephiroth stated, "get up already."

"I'm throwing in the towel. I give up."

Sephiroth smirked as he strode to stand next to his student.

"And here I thought you wanted to be better than me. But here you are, laying in the dirt while the SOLDIER entrance exams are approaching," Sephiroth stated before scoffing, "Which one is really the weak one now, hm?"

Ami opened her eyes, seeing his boots only a few inches from her face.

"With all due respect, sensei, you're being a jerk about all this."

"Everyone has similar opinions of their teachers in the beginning. I remember hearing from Angeal that Zack was always cursing Angeal when Angeal started training Zack," Sephiroth stated.

"At least I have the peace of mind to keep all my curses inside my head."

"Enough slacking. Get up already," Sephiroth stated.

"Or?" Ami asked.

"Or you won't be getting any dinner," Sephiroth stated, "our scheduled time for this room is about to expire."

Ami raised her head, feeling like her head weighed a ton.

"I'll try," Ami stated hollowly.

She moved her right arm so that it could be used to get her into a crawling position before doing the same with her left.

"Here," Sephiroth stated, holding out his hand to her.

"Hn?" Ami asked, looking at the hand, surprise on her face.

"Since we're going to be a packaged deal until I retire, I'm going to have to get used to helping you and you're going to have to get used to getting my help. That is, as long as you don't think I'll pull you out of the fire at the last second."

Ami nodded.

"Agreed," Ami stated, accepting the hand up.

She let out a cry of pain as she stood, feeling her legs cramping up while being weak to the point of feeling like they wouldn't be able to hold her weight.

"Hn. It seems that I may have pushed you further than I thought. Unless it's all an act to get my pity."

"Pity is just another empty sensation that hinders more than help."

Sephiroth raised an eyebrow.

"You can put all your weight on my arm."

Ami nodded and done so as she felt like she was mostly being dragged out of the training room.

"You think I can pass the exams?" Ami asked.

"I know you can if you can keep up the good work," Sephiroth stated, "you have potential."

"You're just making me want to let you torture me, aren't you?"

"I'm nothing if not honest."

"And sadistic."

"Perhaps. But that's something you can be accused of as well."

"Wait up!" Ami heard a voice call to them.

"Zack," Sephiroth stated, looking at the young black-haired man.

"I heard the news," Zack said.

"As have I. Do you even know if she's a puppy or a kitten?" another voice said eloquently and friendly before an auburn-haired man in red looked at her, "she looks like she's been through her paces."

"Don't we all on our first day of training?" Sephiroth asked with a smirk.

"Good point, but she's a girl. They're far more fragile than-" Genesis started.

"If you think I'm a fragile weakling, I think you're a male chauvinist pig," Ami said, interrupting Genesis, glaring at said man.

Genesis smirked at her expression of annoyance that echoed Sephiroth's. Once he realized the similarity, he started to chuckle.

"Hn?" Sephiroth asked.

"Just that her expression of annoyance mirrors yours," Genesis said with a chuckle, "looks like you're already rubbing off on her."

"Not funny," Ami stated, glaring at Genesis.

"Wow. Identical glares and in stereo," Zack stated as Genesis took two steps back.

Zack didn't see it coming when Sephiroth and Ami glared at each other.

"Stop copying me," both said in unison, in the same calm tone but Sephiroth's words were dripping with threatening intent.

"Jinks!" Ami cried out immediately afterwards, causing the men to give her curious looks and questioning utterances.

"Back where I'm from, when two people say the same thing at the same time, they call 'jinks'. Whoever says it last owes the other person a soda," Ami explained.

"Interesting," Genesis said with a smile before turning to Sephiroth, "it looks like you owe this lady a soda."

"Hmph."

.:.

Author's Note: 12/13/10

Well, decided not to make a cushion and just posted the last chapter whenever. Which I'll probably do with this one. I felt that Ami and Sephiroth would have similar expressions because the two of them are both somewhat cold outwardly. It's only Ami who is mostly cold in and out.

So yeah, she's going to be in SOLDIER eventually. Those who have written the previous version would know this. I also had more of a crazy idea that whenever she gets PMS, maybe it makes her stronger and a lot more scarier. However, as for Genesis asking if Ami's a puppy or kitten, I'm going to have to say kitten on this and eventually, Sephiroth would probably say as much.

The whole Jinks thing was very sudden and unplanned. However, about her expressions being similar if not exactly like Sephy's is mostly because both have got the whole distant thing down. Well, I gotta go to bed already. Seeya.

Laters!

~Gregora

Next Chapter: Now that Ami's training has started, can she find the strength to continue her training and pass all of the tests that Sephiroth sets in front of her?


	5. Between Chapters Bonus

Beyond the Veil

Disclaimer: I only own Ami-kun, the rest of everything is owned by other people, mostly Square-Enix. I'd like to thank everyone who has sent me feedback on this fic- you've all helped me out.

Between Chapter Bonus

Ami was surprised to see that Sephiroth lived in a penthouse apartment, taking up the entire top floor of the building. Everything looked clean- even the floors sparkled and shone. The apartment felt cold and empty- there was hardly any decoration besides a couch, a bookshelf and what looked to her to be a television. Just off the kitchen area, just about within the living room's reach, was a bay window that had the bottom be padded and cushioned to allow people to sit in it.

The setting sun cast an orange glow within the white-walled apartment as she stepped forward, her legs still feeling uneasy. She could feel his eyes on her, but decided not to pay attention to his glance.

"Fancy. Much fancier than what I had before," Ami stated, removing her shoes near the door so she wouldn't track in dirt and grime before venturing further.

"Hmph. If you won't make a mess, I'll get dinner started," Sephiroth stated.

"I'm not a child," Ami stated dourly.

"You certainly act like it."

Sephiroth heard no reply, but it didn't bother him as he started to cook.

.:.

Ami prodded her food wistfully before taking a bite, chewing slowly. She looked like something was bothering her, but Sephiroth knew better than to push when it might not work out so well. She looked out of the bay windows she sat at, seeing that the windows extended from a little below the cushioned seat all the way to the ceiling, showing a view of the night sky. The sun had since gone down and she looked up at the sky that was alien to her.

"This is the first time I saw the night sky since I was put under Hojo's care," Ami stated, sounding melancholy.

"So you're homesick."

"Far from it. Just that I have more here than I did before. There...I had only my club whose employees always hit on me and wanted me to be what they imagined me to be...well up until they gave me my nickname of 'ice queen'. I can't see why women wanted me. I'm not even interested in women. Heck, I find the woman body to be a rather ugly creation that is highly inefficient. Too inefficient for my liking."

"You don't have any friends or family?"

"No friends. Not since my last group of friends betrayed me and stabbed me in the back. All I know of my mother was that a week after I was born, she knocked on my father's door and ran off, leaving me behind on his doorstep with a letter that said that she couldn't stand seeing my face because I resembled him that much."

Sephiroth frowned.

"Why do you even want to be in SOLDIER?"

"I want to be strong and free, of course. If I become a part of SOLDIER, I become some sort of role model. I had none when it mattered."

"Hmph. How noble."

.:.

Author's Note: 12/14/10

I decided this wasn't worth a chapter so I decided to make it an extra. I had this scene in my head yesterday but couldn't fit it into chapter three. This may fit between chapters three and four, but it's more for a bit of character development. That and to give you guys something to read since today's a bit meh to me because of the date. My dad would have turned 56 today if he was still alive, so I'm a bit melancholy myself.

I think I'm gonna hide behind my video games now. I really need a break.

Later

~Gregora


	6. Chapter 4

Beyond the Veil

Disclaimer: I only own Ami-kun, the rest of everything is owned by other people, mostly Square-Enix. I'd like to thank everyone who has sent me feedback on this fic- you've all helped me out. I also would like to thank TsubasaWitch for the first review since I've started the major re-write! Thanks to let me know at least someone reads this. ^_^

Chapter Four

Ami glared at the silver-haired man in front of her as he smirked and let out a 'hmph' at her. The smog and pollution hid the sun from view, but the brightness just beyond the fog told her that it was indeed daytime. In her hands was a single sword that was a standard-issue SOLDIER sword. She held it up in a clearly defensive posture, not knowing what her enemy was going to do. She knew she had a split second to react to deflect and counterattack. She knew she had to act- she wasn't here to stand around, staring at this guy. _'Even if he _is _a beefsteak,'_ Ami thought to herself.

The warning came with one more 'hmph' and a little of a flourish with the Masamune, giving her enough time to roll to the side and counterattack with a slice of her sword. He leaped out of the way fast enough to avoid most of the damage. However, the leather coat got a neat cut in it. She could see the glare of deadly intent appear on his face, reminding her of the one time she had seen Advent Children.

"You're getting overconfident," Ami stated.

"Perhaps. Or perhaps I'm merely toying with you," Sephiroth stated.

"I think a little of both," Ami replied, searching inside of her for that flame within her.

"If you think you're better than me, come and try to defeat me rather than stand there and fight a defensive battle. You won't defeat me if you stay on the defensive."

Ami let out an oath under her breath before placing her right hand over the blunt of the blade of her sword, focusing on channeling the heat from within her. The blade glowed as flames lashed out of it, not burning her. She moved her hand back to the sword grip before charging at Sephiroth with a smirk.

"Hmph," Sephiroth said as he deflected the attack with ease before pushing her back and counterattacking.

Ami felt the cold steel slice through her clothes and cutting her skin. She let out a yelp of pain as she leaped backward. She looked up in time to see him charging at her. She had enough time to put her sword in the path of Masamune. The impact came, the force sending her skidding on the cement that was the top of the Shinra building. She could feel her blood flowing out of her steadily. She watched as he held the Masamune ready to strike.

She watched the incredibly long katana-like sword sail towards her up to the point that she closed her eyes, ready for the inevitable. She waited for what felt like forever for the pain, but none came. Instead, she heard the sound of the Training Room powering down. She opened her eyes, seeing that her enemy looked like he was disappearing in square chunks.

"That was pathetic," came a familiar voice that sounded nothing but sour.

"Well, whose bright idea was it to face a holographic you!" she shot back snappily as she focused on activating her Cure materia to heal her wounds, feeling the warmth covering the area of her wound.

"Which one of us keeps acting like they're better than everyone else?" Sephiroth snapped back.

"You're just as guilty of it as I am," Ami stated with a smirk as she eased herself into a sitting position, feeling her side was still a bit tender.

"Hmph. Your training is finished for today," he said before turning and walking out of the room, leaving her alone in the training room.

_'But we still have a bit over an hour left of the scheduled time for this room,' _she thought with a frown as she let out a groan and stood up. She used the Cure materia again to make sure that she wasn't going to re-open the wound. _'Perhaps, I can use this time to do some training in private.'_

.:.

Sephiroth sat in the SOLDIER break room, drinking from a bottle of water as he looked outside to the smog and pollution in the sky. He glanced at the clock on his PHS, knowing that the time set aside for the training room was close to ending. He had expected her to follow him, but knew she would possibly stay behind and push herself.

"So where's your kitten, Sephiroth?" a familiar voice asked.

"Like a kitten, she wanders off all the time," he replied with a frown as he turned his head to regard Genesis with a friendly smirk.

"Such is the nature of kittens," Genesis replied with a shrug before Sephiroth's PHS rang, the ringtone being the default annoying ringtone.

Sephiroth flipped open the PHS and held it to his ear.

"WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?" came a shriek that pierced his eardrum, making him reflexively move the PHS far from his ear, "ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR MIND?"

"What are you talking about?" Sephiroth asked, his tone harsh.

Only Hojo could make any day worse just by talking to him. Moreso when said scientist was shouting and screaming at him over something that he didn't know about.

"Your _protégé_ was found in the training room on the SOLDIER floor, unconscious. She's currently in a mako bath in order to heal her worse wounds," Hojo replied.

"I will be there to collect her," Sephiroth stated.

"She's hardly in the shape to leave the mako bath," Hojo said, "she's very weak still. What have you been doing to her?"

"Training to be in SOLDIER is harsh. I was ordered to train her in order to pass the entrance examinations. If you don't like it, you can take it up with the President."

"Be that as it may, she can't leave the mako bath yet."

"She can. And will. The last thing everyone needs is for her to get addicted or poisoned by the influx of Mako," Sephiroth stated.

"Fine. She will be ready by the time you arrive," Hojo stated before Sephiroth turned off her PHS.

.:.

"Wake up already!" she heard someone scream at her shrilly, making her flinch.

She felt like something the cat dragged in as she opened her eyes. The sight that greeted her was worse than she felt. Much worse. She could recognize the dark hair and the pair of glasses anywhere. She let out a sigh as she sat up, feeling the areas where she knew she had been wounded scream in agony. She merely grunted and glared at Hojo.

"Good. I have an assignment for you. If you do as I tell you, you will never need to return to the cell on a more permanent basis," Hojo said.

Ami glared at Hojo before saying, "I'll never do anything you want me to on principle alone."

"If you were to become pregnant with Sephiroth's child, you will no longer be needed here," Hojo stated.

Ami's eyes narrowed sharper as she frowned, "forget it, Hojo. Doing that will just be giving you yet another life to screw up."

"I'll give you five months to figure out if you want to do so willingly or not," Hojo stated, almost hissing, "and if you ever tell Sephiroth, I will act like those five months are up."

Before Ami could retort, the doors slammed open and Sephiroth strode in almost if he owned the place. She knew her clothes were torn in all sorts of ways and that she was going to need another set of battle wear. She could hear his amused 'hmph' at seeing the shape she was in.

"I assume you're well enough for us to go to the apartment," Sephiroth stated.

"Definitely," Ami said, sliding off the table.

Bad move. As her feet landed on the floor and her muscles were screaming to hold her weight, she toppled forwards. She knew this and closed her eyes and put her hands in front of her to catch herself once she hit the floor. Instead, she felt a hand grab her left arm and kept her upright. She knew who it was the moment she registered the feel of leather.

She felt like she was mostly carried for the second time that week. She swore she almost made a habit out of it.

"I assume you're in this shape because you pushed yourself," Sephiroth stated, amusement tinging his words.

"Yeah. And to think I still haven't beaten that holographic version of you," Ami stated, getting a chuckle from Sephiroth before saying, "what's so funny?"

"You'll be hard pressed to defeat that holographic version of me since it's one programmed with my statistics as they currently are," Sephiroth stated.

Ami lifted her head and glared at Sephiroth, "you're saying that I nearly got myself killed by fighting holographic you as you currently are? And that you rigged that test?"

"Yes on both counts."

"Why?"

"To test your resolve as well to teach you a lesson you needed to learn."

"That I'm nowhere close to you in strength or battle ability," Ami stated.

"Yes. And such belief that you are my better are just empty words."

Ami let her head hang, hearing an electric sliding door open. It was quickly followed by a cold wind that smelled like a semi truck just passed past her. _'Ah. The Midgarian pollution...'_ Ami thought sourly.

.:.

Author's Note: 12/15/10

Well, this would have been done hours ago if my mother didn't show up. She was her usual crazy self and stuff.

Sephiroth: You think _your _Mother is crazy...

Sorry, that popped in when I was inwardly thinking how crazy my own Mother is. She's gotten crazier since I told her that my dad passed away (like she'd care since the divorce...) and she gives me boxes of random stuff. Like I can't amass random stuff on my own... It almost feels like she tries to buy my love.

(sarcastic comment removed)

For some reason I can never write a character having a good family and being well adjusted. I've got to always have them have a crappy past, one or no parents around and stuff like that. I guess it's just because I seem to be channeling my pasts into OCs and stuff. O_o

Heck, I gave Ami some issues I've formed through my life. Wait until her other problems materialize once she gets close to a person.

But now the next two chapters shouldn't be too hard since I can type them from the notebook I found where I had written the very earliest versions of chapters two and three which are different than the versions that made it to the 'net. They can almost be typed up verbatim. :D

Well, I gotta get started on the next chapters.

Laters!

~Gregora

Next time on BtV: When Sephiroth finds himself running away from his student, will he be able to find the cause of Ami's change in behavior? Or will he be running away from her for the rest of their lives?


	7. Chapter 5

Beyond the Veil

Disclaimer: I only own Ami-kun, the rest of everything is owned by other people, mostly Square-Enix. I'd like to thank everyone who has sent me feedback on this fic- you've all helped me out. I also would like to thank TsubasaWitch for the first review since I've started the major re-write! Thanks to let me know at least someone reads this. ^_^

Chapter Five

Ami sat on the table, her feet hanging down. She crossed her legs and started to rock her legs out of boredom as she watched Hojo. She wondered how long it would take her to annoy the scientist.

"I'm bored," Ami stated as Hojo finished making sure that her wounds hadn't reopened or gotten infected.

"Everything seems to be fine," Hojo stated as he pushed his glasses back up his nose, "complete your mission and don't tell Sephiroth. Don't forget the consequences are if we fail to see any progress."

Ami shivered in disgust. _'Trust me, I'd rather die.'_

"Of course," Ami stated.

"You may go," Hojo stated.

Ami jumped down off of the examination table and ran out of the lab, cooking up plans to make sure that Sephiroth stayed far away from her. She knew that said SOLDIER was standing right outside the door to the lab, long before she emerged from the lab.

"I assume Hojo gave you a clean bill of health," Sephiroth stated.

"Yuppers," Ami replied as they headed towards the elevator.

For some reason, Sephiroth could feel apprehension sinking into his being, but he didn't know why. He felt this apprehension grow as they entered the elevator and he pressed the button for the SOLDIER floor. He saw her expression go from her usual cold demeanor to something that made his skin crawl. She grinned at him, which didn't bother him. What did was the look in her eyes that not just made him feel naked but violated too. He was about to tell her to knock it off when she spoke.

"So," she said in her sweet tone, making him feel even worse, "when's our wedding?"

Everything froze around him as his brain slowed to a crawl. He knew he was just standing there like an idiot, but all he could do was to force his brain to work again. _'There's something wrong. She hates me,'_ he thought to himself, _'perhaps she also suffered a concussion yesterday. Or she really is going through mako poisoning. What's clear is that she isn't herself.'_

"Hm?" he asked, his brain yet to come up with a proper answer.

"You and me," she said, pointing at the two of them before saying, "wedding. When is it?"

He looked down at her as his brain fumbled for other reasons she could be acting out of character. _'Maybe she was switched with a look-alike.'_

"You have got to be suffering from a head injury, mako poisoning, or you're not the real Ami," Sephiroth stated.

"Nope, nope, and I am the real Ami," Ami replied.

"Are you completely certain you didn't get anything knocked loose in that thick head of yours?"

"Pretty sure."

"Did Hojo inject you with something?"

"When isn't he injecting one of us with some weird stuff?" Ami asked as the elevator doors opened and she followed Sephiroth down the hallway.

"Then what makes you think I like you at all, let alone in that way?"

Sephiroth continued down the hallway before realizing that Ami had stopped behind him. With a slight sigh of annoyance, he turned around. He saw her stunned and hurt face, the tears that were welling in her eyes. He knew what was coming. But he had no idea to prevent it.

"I see! I get it now!" Ami exclaimed, her voice taking the cracking quality that always happened when women were about to or were crying.

He could hear every single SOLDIER within earshot stop what they were doing and he could feel eyes turning to the spectacle. He felt ill equipped to deal with this situation.

"You hate me!" Ami exclaimed, hardly a pause between the two statements before she sunk to her knees and started to sob and sniffle.

"I've never said that. Now stop making a spectacle of yourself," he said, his tone drowning with annoyance.

"What's going on here?" Zack asked, approaching the scene just in time to see the mentor and his student glare at each other.

"What's wrong with you?" Sephiroth demanded, anger showing on his face.

"What's wrong with _me_? What's wrong with you?" Ami snapped at Sephiroth.

"There's nothing wrong with me! I can't say the same with you! Now, once you can get all of this out of your system, I will be waiting in the Training Room," Sephiroth stated with a frown before striding off.

Once Sephiroth was out of sight and earshot, Ami wiped the tears from her face. She looked solemn but not upset the way she had acted only mere seconds before. She gathered herself off, brushing the knees of her jeans off before walking into the lounge area. She knew that once that scene happened, if they were about to be friends, any chance of friendship would be wiped away.

As she sat down, she wondered if she was doing the right thing. _'Of course you are! There's other guys here anyways. Maybe a few wouldn't be that bad towards you,' _she thought to herself as she sat down and heard someone sit down next to her.

"Hey," the familiar voice said.

"Hey, Zack," Ami stated.

"Mind telling me exactly what happened? That was quite a show," Zack stated.

"If you had a choice between being miserable alone and causing everyone around you to be miserable, what would you choose?"

"And you did that to make Seph not be miserable? Good luck with the guy. He's always serious. No one's ever heard him laugh or joke around. He lives and breathes his work," Zack stated.

.:.

Sephiroth held Masamune in his hands, glaring at the computer-generated copy of himself that he had Ami fight the day before. He needed to do something that he understood more than he could understand Ami. The girl had been a puzzle wrapped in an enigma wrapped in mystery. Whenever he understood a part of her, she had more unknowns to solve. _'I will never understand her,'_ he thought to himself.

He charged at the computer-generated version of himself, slicing at the fake. The fake parried, causing sparks to fly. The fake charged at him and he managed to trip the fake before the fake sliced at him and he leaped into the air to avoid the slice. In the heat of battle, his mind started to wander as the familiar movements and predictable patterns surfaced, causing the battle to be a mostly mindless affair.

Her actions in the elevator was sudden and completely unexpected. He hated to be caught off-guard the way he had. Earlier the day, she had been normal Ami. Distant, calm, cold-as-ice, but had a dry sense of humor. In ways, she reminded him of a less war- and world-weary version of himself. Okay, she was a bit world-weary herself. He had to remind himself that she also was a cynical pain in the rear.

Pain seared his left shoulder, bringing his mind back into the fight when he saw with cold detachment that the fake Masamune had sliced through his shoulder armor and nearly cut off his arm. He calmly switched sword hands and saw that the fake him was smirking and withdrew Masamune. He let out a nearly inaudible growl of annoyance as he glared at the fake. With his right hand, he held up the Masamune and charged at the fake self before quickly slicing eight times.

He had to give the fake some credit, however. The fake had managed to block each slash in his limit break. He decided to end it before he got more mangled than he could manage to heal with a Curaga materia. He carried restorative materia when he was off training just in case he or Ami got hurt. Of course, lately it had been Ami more than he. He pulled out his PHS and aborted the simulation before he tended to himself.

As the fake was broken down digital square by digital square, the door opened. A green glow surrounded his shoulder and he could feel the restorative magic spread its warmth to hide the pain in his shoulder. He could feel the muscles in his shoulder reattach themselves to each other. The blood slowly ebbed as the skin of his shoulder grew back to cover his shoulder.

"I found out why Ami was acting weird," Zack stated eagerly, looking quite the hyperactive puppy.

"Hm?"

"She seems to think that she doesn't want to cause you more misery. I think it's because she likes you or something."

"Hmph," he said as he placed the blade of the Masamune against the magnets that was attached to his belt that was similar to the magnets on the back of the standard SOLDIER uniform, "that's all I need. Another rabid fangirl."

.:.

As Sephiroth emerged from the Training Room with Zack in tow, he felt an impact on his right side. He stepped to the side in order to keep himself from toppling onto his still tender shoulder. He looked down to see familiar brown hair that had been pulled into a ponytail.

"Sowwy for that fight, Sephy," Ami said in a whiny tone.

Sephiroth didn't know what to be more annoyed over. The unwanted and uncalled for physical contact, that Ami had called him 'Sephy', the tone she used, or the fact that Zack was almost on the ground because he was laughing so hard.

"I wish I had a camera," Zack said in between gasps of air as Sephiroth peeled Ami off of him just so he could glare at the girl worse than he had ever glared at anyone before.

"Never. Call. Me. 'Sephy'. Ever. Again," he said harshly and in a very threatening tone.

.:.

Author's Note: 12/15/10

Well, this I altered from what I had written down over two years ago except that I removed things that wouldn't have happened yet and things that I felt slowed the chapter down. I also added more things and lengthened it a bit. This wasn't where the chapter was supposed to end but I felt that this was a good stopping point.

In the same notebook, I had written down funny things that didn't officially happen in my FF7-themed D&D campaign. One of them actually made me chuckle because I felt it was hilarious.

The scene: The Highwind in flight, going somewhere during the night.

DM (ME): You hear a sploosh-y sound and Cid is calling everyone to come up to the main deck to see something. (the party does so) He's pointing at the sheet of glass in front. You see a smear of blood, tatters of black leather and a broken wing covered in black feathers that appears to be permanently attached to the glass.

This is the kind of things that happen when I run D&D and everyone bribes me with caffiene. Funny stuff happens that get retconned out. Even if it shouldn't. :D I even did a 20 minute fail drawing of it and put it on my deviantart. My deviantart account is Gregora in case anyone wants to see it. I'm kinda embarrassed about it.

And now to answer some questions. TsubasaWitch asks: Oh one last thing when excalty is; this taking place it's during crisis core right?

My answer: I should have made it clear, but she arrived on Gaia/Planet a year before Crisis Core. Which would make her a Third when the Crisis Core related stuff happens. My intention is to go through the time periods for Crisis Core, the main game, and then Advent Children before I end it.

Well, gotta work on the next chapter.

Later!

~Gregora

In the next chapter: Driven to the end of his rope, Sephy gets a plan. Will this plan backfire or will he find out what Hojo is up to?


	8. Chapter 6

Beyond the Veil

Disclaimer: I only own Ami-kun, the rest of everything is owned by other people, mostly Square-Enix. I'd like to thank everyone who has sent me feedback on this fic- you've all helped me out. I also would like to thank TsubasaWitch and LoreilDarksky00 for the first three reviews since I've started the major re-write! Thanks to let me know at least someone reads this. ^_^

Chapter Six

Zack sat in the SOLDIER break room, drinking a soda from a can. He frowned, a little upset that Sephiroth had gotten his favorite soda banned from the building. He loved the citrus-y soda known as Lightning, but he knew he had his time off and away from the building to ever enjoy his favorite soda. So he was stuck with root beer. He was sipping his drink wistfully when the door slammed open, making him jump.

He looked to the door, seeing something he'd never thought he'd ever see in his life. He saw Sephiroth close the door gently behind him and look around. He saw how the silver haired man's head darted, looking much like a cornered animal. The man's fair skin was unusually pale as he stood there, looking everywhere.

_'Man, Ami must really be driving Seph mad,'_ Zack thought to himself as he watched the man remove the lid of the four-foot cylindrical trash bin and jump in, only to put the lid on top.

"Don't tell her I'm in here," Sephiroth said, his words dripping in terror and threat, leaving the thread of being stabbed implied.

Zack chuckled to himself over the scene, knowing that The Great Sephiroth was curled up in the trash bin that had been cleaned out only five minutes ago. It was scarcely a minute when Ami walked in. She was calm and just a little sad. She walked to the cupboard to grab a warm Ginger Ale and looked at Zack.

"Mind if I joined ya?" Ami asked.

"Sure," Zack said with a shrug as Ami sat down and let out a sigh which prompted his question, "still driving him insane?"

"Like I have much of a choice. This is really for the better. If I can keep myself from joining SOLDIER, I could escape from every string that likes to attach itself to me to try to turn me into a marionette. I'm no one's puppet," Ami stated with a frown.

"I'm not a puppet," Zack stated.

"Yes, but that's because you're not one of Hojo's lab rats," Ami said, growing more depressed before she wistfully said, "if only it didn't involve him."

Silence stretched between the two as they both were drinking from their sodas before Ami felt that she was done with her's.

"Well, gotta take care of this and then continue my activities," Ami stated, getting up and heading to the garbage bin that Sephiroth was hiding in.

"Wait!" Zack cried out, wanting to delay her.

"Yes?" Ami asked, turning to face Zack.

"You don't want to use that trash can," Zack stated.

"Oh?" Ami asked.

"Yes. There's...a...uhh...new regulation," Zack stated, "yeah, that's it."

"And what is this new regulation you speak of?" Ami asked.

"It...says...uhh...that one can't use trash bins to..uhh...dispose of cans."

"Then what am I to do with this can?" Ami asked.

"I don't know."

Ami smirked and turned around, "well, fun thing about breaking rules is that you're only in trouble if you get caught."

Ami tilted the lid up and threw the half full can into the bin, not looking into the bin as she done so and walked out. Zack chuckled as Sephiroth removed the lid to the trash bin and stood up, obviously covered in soda. Sephiroth didn't look happy since it was clear that some of the liquid also gotten into his hair.

"I appreciate what you tried to do," Sephiroth stated with a frown, "it seems that Hojo's behind it."

"What makes you think he won't lie to you about what he's doing to Ami?" Zack asked.

"True. I might need to get more information from Ami before I can approach Hojo."

"And how are you going to do that?"

Sephiroth grinned before saying, "I've got an idea."

.:.

Ami was leaving the building when she heard someone call out to her. She turned around to see that Angeal and Zack were approaching her. She decided to wait up- she got along chummy with Zack and she had no real problem with Angeal.

"Hey guys," Ami stated.

She saw a glow coming from Zack before she felt her limbs turn into noodles and her vision blurred. Zack watched as Angeal caught Ami before she could get hurt.

"Wow. That Sleep materia really came in handy," Zack stated.

"Remember your lesson about tying rope?" Angeal asked.

.:.

Sephiroth smirked to himself as he surveyed the living room of his penthouse apartment. The living room was dark except for a lamp on a table that bathed a single chair in bright light. On the table were a length of rope, three six packs of beer and duct tape. He felt like he was ready for the interrogation.

"Are you really certain we're going to need the tape?" Genesis asked, looking at him.

"That's in case she's a talkative drunk," Sephiroth stated.

"Of course. I think we're missing something," Genesis said.

"Like what?" Sephiroth asked right before Genesis snapped.

"I've got just the thing," Genesis said moments before running into the bathroom and closed the door hurriedly.

Sephiroth heard something rustle and something break before more rustling and Genesis jumped out of the bathroom, a handful of beautiful black feathers in his hand. He had a big grin on his face as he walked to Sephiroth.

"Feathers?" Sephiroth asked.

"Just in case we have to torture her," Genesis said with a grin.

"What kind of torture can one inflict using feathers?" Sephiroth asked.

"You'll see," Genesis replied with a big grin right before the front door opened.

"She weighs heavier than most recruits," Angeal said with a groan, "she's as heavy as any of us."

"And she snores like a moogle," Zack complained as Angeal placed Ami onto the chair.

"I've noticed," Sephiroth stated after Ami let out a room-shaking snore.

"I get why the rope's here, but what about the tape and beer?" Zack asked as Sephiroth tied her onto the chair.

"The beer is for two things- in case the only way she'd tell me what I want to hear is if she was drunk or she drove me to drink," Sephiroth stated, "the tape is there in case she talked too much."

"Why don't we use my method of getting her to talk first?" Genesis asked with a grin, holding up four black feathers.

"What's your method?" Zack asked.

"Tickle torture," Genesis said with a grin.

All four heads turned away from Genesis the moment a loud squeak and thud was heard. They all turned to where the chair was before it toppled.

"Wow. That light's bright," Ami stated, "I swear I'm blind now."

Sephiroth righted the chair with ease before standing in front of her, on the other side of the table.

"All I want you to tell me is what Hojo's plans are that involve us," Sephiroth stated.

"I can't tell you that," Ami stated.

"Have fun with your torturing, Genesis," Sephiroth stated.

Genesis chuckled as he walked around the table and sat down near the chair. He spun the chair so that Ami faced him and wrestled her shoes and socks off her feat.

"Aw no. You can't be serious," Ami stated, seeing the black feathers in the man's hand.

"I am," Genesis said, "I'm willing to give you one more chance to answer Sephiroth's question before I start."

"If I tell anyone in this room, I'll be trapped in that cell again, but this time it'll be much worse," Ami stated.

"I have ways of preventing such a thing from happening to you," Sephiroth stated.

"You said you didn't like me," Ami snapped.

"I'm obligated as your mentor to look out for you and at times help you," Sephiroth stated.

Ami saw Angeal nod.

"But Angeal is more than someone who helps and looks out for me, Sephiroth. He's my friend as well," Zack stated.

"Hm," Sephiroth stated before turning to face Ami, "If you can show that you trust me, I can make sure that Hojo stays well away from you and won't lay a single hand on you."

"I'm sorry but my hands are tied. Both literally and figuratively," Ami stated.

Sephiroth felt something within him gnawing at him over the fact that she didn't trust him. He pushed it away with the knowledge that she had yet to get to know him since they were only a team for less than a week. He watched as Genesis started to lightly run the black feather up and down her foot. He knew that she would be jerking her foot away if her legs weren't tied. He watched as her expression went from her normal emotionless expression to barely containing her laughter. He could see her face turn red with the effort. He could hear her chuckle under her breath until she couldn't help it and she exploded into a fit of laughter.

Her laugh was less annoying than Scarlet's but it was very staccato. He wasn't surprised to see that she was laughing hard enough to cry. Genesis stopped the tickling and Ami panted, trying to catch her breath as her laughing slowed to a chuckle and then silence.

"I'll ask you one more time before we move on to the next way of loosening your tongue- what are Hojo's plans that involve the two of us?" Sephiroth asked, getting a shake of her head from Ami.

Sephiroth grabbed a can of beer and opened it, watching Ami's reaction of smug expectation. Something told him that she had expected such a method. He strode to her, careful of stepping on Genesis who was getting up from the floor.

"Either you drink this or you drown. Your choice," Sephiroth warned before forcibly opening her mouth, tilting her head and poured the contents of the can into her mouth.

He quickly noticed that she was drinking the beer, trying hard not to gag or choke. Once the can was empty, he strode back to the other side of the table.

"That tastes like piss," Ami stated with a frown.

He saw his friends have expressions ranging from curiosity to surprise. Up until Zack just had to ask.

"How do you know? Did you really-"

"Yeah, I did. I was tricked into drinking it. I was told it was juice," Ami said ruefully.

He knew that everyone had their expressions of disgust on their face as he frowned.

"Doesn't compare to when Sammy Cartland gave me what he called fudge. It turned out to be-" Ami continued before she was cut off by the application of duct tape over her mouth.

"She has the most disgusting stories," Zack stated.

Genesis raised his eyebrow at Zack.

"Even compared to the usual stunts the Firsts usually do to the new Thirds?" Genesis asked.

"I got off easy. Angeal was already a First and defended me," Zack stated.

"Lucky you," Genesis replied.

"What kind of things did the Firsts did to you guys when you were new?" Zack asked.

"I'd rather not talk about it," Sephiroth stated.

"You weren't the only one to have been given the pranked 'soda'," Angeal stated.

"Sephiroth, I think your little kitten there doesn't have that much of an alcohol tolerance," Genesis stated, pointing his thumb to the passed out Ami.

"And we're nowhere close to figuring out what's going on," Sephiroth stated.

"If you want, Zack and I can keep her too busy to drive you nuts," Angeal offered, "we can test where she is and judge whether or not she'd pass without anything clouding our opinions."

"I wouldn't mind helping with that endeavor," Genesis added.

"Very well," Sephiroth stated as he worked at untying the ropes, "we'll see you tomorrow then."

The four men nodded and left the apartment.

.:.

Author's Note: 12/16/10

Well, I got this done in the morning since all I added to finish it is a page. It looks like I'm just going to post up a chapter a day and if I do more than one chapter, it becomes a cushion. Which I guess is okay since it helps whenever I lose steam. Most of this again was from the two year old handwritten chapters.

And now I finally added in the one scene that popped in my head that started me on writing this fic- Sephy hiding in the trash can to hide from Ami. As for the trash can, I'm thinking of one of those big plastic cans that I saw everywhere in the schools I've been to. I just got to imagine that it wasn't very comfortable for poor Sephy.

Sephiroth: Stop calling me that!

Me: I can write you out of existance!

Sephiroth: No you can't!

Me: **-hits delete button and watches as it does nothing-**

Sephiroth: See!

Anyways, I've posted the previous chapter as today's chapter to get posted up so this should be up tomorrow since the date listed is the date that I've finished writing it. I felt that in the last draft, Ami's training was too short and Sephy learned of what was going on too early so I'm taking my time with this part. The next chapter is going to be fun since bits and pieces are going to be re-arranged, altered, or all-together removed. Just having something to work from makes the writing faster since it's already there. :D

I'd get on with it but my cat is staring a hole through me. He looks cute as he perches on my dresser. ^_^ This spring, he'll be two years old. And he acts like an overgrown kitten. He destroys things by playing with them, knocks things off the counters, and when he's done with something he sees as a toy, it always winds up in the toilet (wtf?). Not to mention he seems to think that since toilet paper goes into the human litter box, that it has to go into his as well. _

Well, I gotta finish this before I go all Maes Hughes about my cat.

Laters!

~Gregora

Next time on BtV: Genesis, Angeal, and Zack do a small pre-test with Ami in the Training Room. When it becomes clear that she is to fight Zack, will she be able to prove herself to the men or will she be beaten into the dust? Meanwhile, Sephy goes off to face Hojo and try to get his answers. Will he find out or will Hojo keep the plans away from his knowledge? Find this out and more in the next exciting chapter of BtV!


	9. Chapter 7

Beyond the Veil

Disclaimer: I only own Ami-kun, the rest of everything is owned by other people, mostly Square-Enix. I'd like to thank everyone who has sent me feedback on this fic- you've all helped me out. I also would like to thank TsubasaWitch and LoreilDarksky00 for the first three reviews since I've started the major re-write! Thanks for letting me know at least someone reads this. ^_^

Chapter Seven

Ami hurled a ball of fire at Zack as she fell towards the ground after jumping into the air. Zack groaned with annoyance as the weak fireball hit him. He jumped up to catch up to her and sliced at her. She blocked the attack and pushed him away from her. She knew she was getting tired, but she could also tell that Zack was too. They landed on the metal battlefield in identical ways. She watched as Zack charged at her and she quickly rolled out of the way. She watched as Zack went full offense and she merely leaped backwards, out of his way.

Zack never figured that he'd feel like he just went a round with a First Class SOLDIER than a rookie trying to get into SOLDIER. He figured that she was altered, but he had no clue going into this that she probably had spent the whole time in the labs being altered and tested. Still, she was a rookie! Even if she had the body strength to rival his, she shouldn't have been able to have such skill within only a week!

"This is insane! There's no way you could get this skilled!" Zack exclaimed.

"Remember, she's Sephiroth's student! Who knows what he could teach her in a week!" Angeal shouted back, "not to mention what she probably knew before getting here."

"To be able to survive in the neighborhood I grew up in, you had to know how to use what you have at your disposal," Ami stated as she dodged another attack before counterattacking, "and usually, I had a length of pipe. So I had most of the basics already down."

Zack frowned as the counterattack hit true, nicking his side as she smirked. Zack blinked, swearing that she had to be channeling her mentor with that smirk.

"Enough!" Angeal said.

"Very well," Ami said as she put her sword on its magnetic sheath and turned to Zack with a smirk, "no hard feelings?"

"None. I'm just surprised is all," Zack stated with a grin, using a restorative materia to heal his wounds.

Ami nodded before approaching the two Firsts, crossing her arms in front of herself.

"There's no way you won't fail the exams," Genesis said, "I'm actually worried that I might lost my position of second best to a rookie."

"Worried that you'll be third best?" Ami asked.

"Not really. The world needs a new hero. As long as someone knocks Sephiroth off of his high pedestal, I'm fine," Genesis stated.

"I doubt that'll be anytime soon. I swear he's unstoppable," Ami stated.

"And I seem to recall a certain young woman believing that she was better than Sephiroth," Angeal stated.

"I learned that I'm nowhere close the hard way," Ami stated with a frown.

.:.

"Just what do you have under your sleeve, Hojo?" Sephiroth demanded as he strode into Hojo's lab.

"I don't know what you're talking about, Sephiroth," Hojo replied.

"You think you're far more clever than you really are. I know you've got some sort of plan cooked up involving Ami," Sephiroth stated, his words dripping with murderous intent, "whatever she is, it's got her acting like a rabid fangirl."

"Hmph. That girl's just asking for trouble," Hojo muttered before saying, "It might not even involve you. Not directly."

"I don't care if it involves me," Sephiroth snapped, lowering a murderous glare at Hojo, "whatever it is, I want to know what it is."

"And if I don't tell, you think you can kill me? Have you forgotten that I'm necessary to your's and Ami's well-being?" Hojo asked.

"Hmph. Once I find out exactly what your plans are, I will keep you from enacting them," Sephiroth stated before turning around and striding out of the lab, carrying with him an aura of destruction and murderous wrath.

.:.

Zack was sipping from a can of cola in the SOLDIER break room. He was sitting at the table, looking out of the window to see the dark clouds of pollution that blocked out a good portion of the sunlight that would have bathed the town in. The sound of a door slamming brought his attention to the source of the sound. He saw Sephiroth at the door, holding it closed with his strength.

"Is she still driving you crazy?" Zack asked, unable to keep himself from grinning at the sight.

"I swear she thinks it's funny to see me go insane," he replied, "I don't see anything funny about this."

"Just think, she's expanding your comfort zone."

"I doubt it's expanding my comfort zone when she threatened revenge for her, as she put it, 'hangover from hell' before you took her off my hands."

"She didn't look hungover when she and I fought," Zack stated.

It was then that the opposite door opened and Ami strode into the room. She radiated an aura of malice and murderous intent to the point that Sephiroth almost flinched. She slammed open the fridge and scanned it before slamming it closed. She went through the cupboards in a similar manner before grabbing a can of ginger ale and slamming the cupboard closed. The two SOLDIERs could hear that her footsteps had a stomping quality to them and watched as she sat down at the table.

Zack watched her in curiosity while Sephiroth seemed almost incredulous that she wasn't chasing after him.

"What's eating you?" Zack asked.

"Headache. I've had it since I woke up," Ami replied.

"But what about when we were fighting?" Zack asked.

"I was ignoring it. The fight gave me something to focus on. However, I didn't get to fight at my best because of it," Ami stated, causing Zack to be slack-jawed.

"And you were nearly wiping the floor with me!"

"I already knew how to fight and the gang I use'ta be in use'ta practice fighting with weapons. Some were skilled in fighting with chains, others with pipes, more with knives and daggers, then the rest were pretty much marksmen. When we practiced, we'd use less deadly versions. Since I was skilled using pipes and stuff, I used a wooden no-dochi for practice."

"That explains how you managed to know how to fight," Sephiroth stated with smug satisfaction as he strode to sit at the table.

"Sounds like life was rough," Zack stated, "did you live in slums or what?"

"Pretty much. I lived on the edge of the slums. It was still the kinda place that if cars passed by, you gotta kiss the ground real fast or be capped."

"Capped?" Zack asked.

"Shot," Ami explained.

Zack looked surprised and a little sad at the knowledge.

Ami seemed to ignore Zack's expression as she turned to look at Sephiroth with a smirk before asking, "so what's the plan, Sephy?"

"Stop calling me that!"

"Or what? You've never seem to be one to make idle threats," Ami said smugly as she knew she had the upper hand.

"Or I'll stop taking it easy on you with your training," Sephiroth stated.

"What? Are you saying that with my training, you've been taking it easy on me?" Ami asked, her voice raising in surprise.

"Exactly. However, the plan is that you'll continue your training until I believe that you will pass your entrance examinations," Sephiroth stated.

"She'll slaughter them as it is, Sephiroth," Zack stated.

"Perhaps, but I'm not comfortable with the odds as they currently are."

.:.

Author's Note: 12/16/10

Well, yet another chapter finished today and it's barely through with the day. I felt that she would be able to hold her own against Zack since Zack's still a Second Class and that she had as much time fighting as he did plus the harsh training with Sephiroth. We're pretty much talking about someone who's been using PVC pipes as weapons since she was twelve or thirteen. She's got the skills, but not the strength to beat Zack even before she was pulled from Earth. Now that she has the strength equal to his due to Hojo experimenting on her, it felt like she would be a notch or two above him. Especially after her training with Sephiroth who I'd think is a horrid taskmaster. :D

Nothing really to talk about so I'm leaving it at this.

Later!

~Gregora


	10. Chapter 8

Beyond the Veil

Disclaimer: I only own Ami-kun, the rest of everything is owned by other people, mostly Square-Enix. I'd like to thank everyone who has sent me feedback on this fic- you've all helped me out. I also would like to thank TsubasaWitch and LoreilDarksky00 for the first reviews since I've started the major re-write! Thanks for letting me know at least someone reads this. ^_^

Chapter Eight

She sped through the empty streets of her hometown. She grinned as she turned her motorcycle sharply to avoid getting hit, getting profanities thrown her way by the startled driver. She was free, feeling like if she went even a tiny bit faster, she'd be flying. It wasn't smart but at least she was smart enough to wear protective clothing and a helmet.

_'Slow down,'_ she thought to herself as she only sped faster, urged on by her adrenaline junkie nature. She didn't see a car emerge from a blind corner until it was far too late. She heard a crash and lots of snaps as she was thrown off of her motorcycle like a rag doll. Knowing that it was a memory and she would survive, fear still gripped her as if it was really when this had happened.

Her arms and legs were in agony, much worse than her ribs. She could taste the iron of her blood in her mouth as her vision went far too vivid, everything too clear for her. Everything cooled to the point that she was shivering. And she was alone. The driver remained in their car, probably calling for an ambulance. She was lucky the driver didn't back up and leave her there to die.

But it didn't help her panic. She swore she was dying and no one cared enough to be there, if only to give her some company. But no one did. Sorrow gripped her with the realization that she was completely alone. That she'd only have herself.

"Wake up," a voice said, sounding far away.

She didn't know who the voice belonged to. Was it someone from the afterlife calling for her? She shook her head, as if to clear it. No, she was alone and she was going to die there and then.

"Ami," the voice called again moments before her arms and legs ached with sharp pain.

_'What's going on?'_ She looked around her, realizing that she was still alone and her vision was fading. She felt as if she herself was fading. Darkness lingered at the edge of her vision before it started to get blurry. She then felt like she was floating, alone in the darkness. And she felt warm.

"Ami," the voice called, more persistent and much more clearly.

_'Why is Sephiroth saying my name?'_ she thought before memories crashed into her.

She bolted upright, the light piercing her eyes, hurting them. She let out a cry of pain from her legs, arms, and ribs as well as the pain of the lights being on.

"You were crying very loudly in your sleep," Sephiroth stated.

"Sorry if I woke you up," Ami stated, sitting up on the couch.

"Will you be okay?"

"Maybe once the storm passes," Ami stated.

Sephiroth nodded before sitting on a chair in the living room.

"I'm curious what your nightmare was about," Sephiroth stated.

"I got in a pretty bad crash while on my motorcycle. Nearly died and I was completely alone. It was after I lost my dad and so I had no one. No one on the scene even offered me company during what nearly was my last moments of life," Ami stated quietly, not making eye contact.

"I understand," Sephiroth stated, "usually close calls are very frightening alone."

"It was more depressing knowing that the only person who ever cared about me wasn't around so I was completely alone," Ami stated.

"You're not alone anymore," Sephiroth stated, "you've got Zack, Angeal, Genesis, and I to keep an eye on you."

Ami nodded, hearing thunder rumbling in the distance. She frowned as she knew what always happened during thunderstorms. She turned to Sephiroth.

"Well, we should go back to sleep and stuff," she said, trying to get him to leave before the storm got close enough.

"Very well," Sephiroth stated, getting up and turned off the light.

She quickly wrapped the blanket over her like a cocoon, covering even her head before she buried her face in the corner of the couch as thunder roared, much closer. She whimpered, keeping the whimper quiet enough that Sephiroth wouldn't be too bothered.

.:.

President Shinra glared at Hojo with such ferocity that he seldom had to show. Hollander had informed him of Hojo's plan for both the newest rising star within SOLDIER and his top SOLDIER operative. And Hojo had the nerve to remain cool. He took a last puff of his Costa Del Solian cigar before putting it out. Since he had been smoking it like a train engine, some of the smoke still lingered.

"May I ask why you called me here?" Hojo asked.

"How dare you try to go over my head!" the President asked.

"Excuse me?"

"Your threat to that girl. That if she doesn't become pregnant with Sephiroth's child, you'll keep her in a cell for all of her life while you keep her perpetually pregnant. For one thing, she can be of more worth within SOLDIER than in the labs."

"But if she and Sephiroth have children together, the children would provide more SOLDIER operatives in the same level as Sephiroth."

"True but the girl might prove herself to be of the same level. However, if she can't pass her SOLDIER entrance exams, then I don't care what you do with her."

"But if she does?"

"A student-teacher relationship can become close. More so when the relationship becomes a partnership and they are equals."

"But that'll take years!" Hojo squealed.

"Wise men know when to rush things and when not to. Dismissed."

.:.

Author's Note: 12/18/10

Started this chapter the day before yesterday and stopped in the middle. Then yesterday, I wound up having a day off from writing due to Minecraft. :D I don't know when on Monday I'll be posting up a new chapter since tonight I'm playing BESM and tomorrow, I have a birthday party to go to.

I guess I could try to start on a new chapter but I really want to play Minecraft. I could have gone through almost a week in the game by now. -whines- That and I just found out about a challenge for it called the "nomad challenge". Pretty much the gist of it is that you never stay in one place for an extended time.

Well, see you guys later!

~Gregora


	11. Bad Day Fluffiness

Beyond the Veil

Disclaimer: I only own Ami-kun, the rest of everything is owned by other people, mostly Square-Enix. I'd like to thank everyone who has sent me feedback on this fic- you've all helped me out. I also would like to thank TsubasaWitch and LoreilDarksky00 for the first reviews since I've started the major re-write! Thanks for letting me know at least someone reads this. ^_^

Bad Day Fluffiness

Ami knew that the day she was having was a bad day the moment she opened her eyes. Okay, maybe not that soon. But she knew it early on in the day. She had bought a music player and earbuds with the gil from her first payday and had been listening to music through the earbuds while she was folding the wool blanket she had been using. She flinched, feeling like something hit her inside her head while folding the blanket. It was the fifth time when she realized that the cord of the earbuds conducted the mild shocks.

But that was just the beginning.

Before their workday begun, Sephiroth had something he needed to buy and had required him to take his car.

"I shouldn't be long. Wait for me here," Sephiroth instructed before he walked into the store.

It had been five minutes later when the lady inside the car on her side of the car was obviously having difficulty pulling out and was being quite rude and laying heavily on the horn. When the lady's car was just about out, the lady looked Ami in the eye and screamed obscenities at her before finally pulling away.

_'Like I could do anything since I'm sitting shotgun,'_ Ami thought to herself moments before Sephiroth entered the car holding what looked to be a rather impressive four foot blade.

"Hold onto this please," Sephiroth stated.

Ami nodded and accepted the blade from Sephiroth so that he could drive. She unsheathed it enough to see the blade.

"Be careful with it. It's new and dull," Sephiroth stated before the car hit a pothole and Ami nicked her thumb on the blade.

"Dull my ass," Ami swore, sucking on her hurt thumb.

"I did warn you to be careful," Sephiroth stated with a scoff.

But the icing on top of the cake that was Ami's horrible bad day was what had happened near the end of her workday. For some reason, there had been a power outage. Sephiroth had sent her a message to her PHS telling her that work was ending and to take the fire escape and that they would meet in the lobby.

While walking down the stairs in the cement lined darkness, she couldn't help but to think of a zombie apocalypse-themed movie where the main characters had been in the same situation. The door had slammed open when they were near it and the zombies had emerged and killed some of the characters. It needlessly set her nerves on edge, leading up to another event. The door slammed open and she faced a wizened face and her overactive imagination drudged up the idea that she was going to be killed by a zombie. She let out a scream of fright, making the poor guy scream in fright. She then recognized the guy as one of the janitors in the building.

When she finally reached the lobby, she saw Sephiroth waiting for her.

"So how has your day been?" he asked as they walked towards the parking garage.

"There's no words to describe how horrendous it's been," Ami stated with a sigh.

.:.

Author's Note: 12/19/10

I had a bad day. Pretty much I didn't go to the birthday party cause roommate couldn't go due to his sleeping disorder and I don't trust my pinched nerve to hold up without someone to catch me if I walk off enough to sprain my ankle since it's very easy to do. And then I just happened to step on a long since emptied soda can and tore up the arch of my foot. There wasn't any rust on the can so I applied some antibiotic cream on it and slapped a band-aid on it. The annoying thing is I got a roommate because I can't bend over and clean the floor due to my back and perpetual sciatica.

As for the events, I actually pretty much took them off of Learn From My Fail and F My Life. Both are fun sites to read.

But the topping of the cake of my bad day happens to be that a) my H key is being touchy and b) I feel like I'm getting a hangnail on the finger next to my pinky so whenever I hit a few keys, I'm in pain. And now I just made it hurt worse and made it bleed by removing it. -_- Bad day indeed.

However, this is giving me another day to work out a plotline by chapter as well as an overarching timeline of the chapter. If I go by the outlines, in Chapter 12, Ami is going to be in so much trouble that even I doubt that Sephy can bail her out. :D Heck, not even Hojo could bail her out of this impending snafu. Like her life can get worse at this point. I think this might get to the point that TV Tropes call "Break the Cutie". :D

But what helps is that I got a friend with a PSP and Crisis Core who might loan me it. I failed to do any of the missions the one time I played it cause I did a rush through.

Well enough of my prattling.

Later!

~Gregora


	12. Chapter 9

Beyond the Veil

Disclaimer: I only own Ami-kun, the rest of everything is owned by other people, mostly Square-Enix. I'd like to thank everyone who has sent me feedback on this fic- you've all helped me out. I also would like to thank TsubasaWitch and LoreilDarksky00 for the first reviews since I've started the major re-write! Thanks to let me know at least someone reads this. ^_^

Chapter Nine

"Wake up," a voice said, giving her the idea of black velvet- it was soft but also dark and smooth.

"Nn," Ami muttered, rolling in her sleep.

-THUD- and she found herself on the floor. Her eyes opened as pain surged into her skull. Her head ached dully as did her knee. She blinked, seeing feet covered by black boots just inches from her face. _'Just don't look up. You know who it is,'_ Ami commanded herself. But she just couldn't turn down such a view and found her eyes traveling up the boots to a leather leg then up more, barely lingering on the hips before reaching the end of the expanse of leather to see a rather finely sculpted male chest. Her eyes traveled upwards to a face that was far too perfect. _'Michelangelo's David has nothing on this kind of perfection made flesh. No wonder why the internet is pretty much full of his fangirls. Those legions would give up anything to see what I see or be where I am.'_

She watched a silver brow raise as she noticed his mouth curved into a smirk. _'He knows what I'm thinking. And he's absolutely _smug_ about it!'_ She would have been terrified for her life if his eyes had murder in them and had the Masamune in his hand.

"About time you're awake," he stated before offering a bare hand to her, not needing to verbally mention that he saw that she had gotten a good view of him with how smug his tone was.

"Did you push me off the couch?" Ami asked with a frown as she accepted his offer to help her up.

"You rolled off of it yourself," Sephiroth stated with a smirk.

"What time is it?"

"Five in the morning. I allowed you to sleep in," Sephiroth stated.

"An hour isn't sleeping in. Wake me up in three hours," Ami replied groggily before climbing onto the couch.

"If you go back to sleep, you will find yourself covered in water. I have a water materia and I know how to use it," Sephiroth said, his voice lined with menace.

"You wouldn't."

"And what makes you assume that I won't?"

"That I'm of what some men call the 'fairer sex'?" Ami asked.

"That won't be a factor. You're my student not just another woman. Besides, when you get into SOLDIER, I'll be treating you just like all the others below me in rank. And I expect you to treat me with the same respect."

"Yeah, yeah. Going back to sleep now," Ami stated, rolling over with the clear intent of doing so, moments before she started to snore.

Sephiroth wasted no time to do as he had threatened to do and soaked her using the Water materia. She let out a yelp and jumped up.

"Hmph," he scoffed, obviously smug, "as you were saying about my not doing what I just did?"

"That was cold!" Ami exclaimed.

"Are you awake now?"

"Very. I'll go get dressed for the day and then I'll take care of my bedding," Ami stated with a frown.

"Be sure to wear your battle outfit. We're going on a trip into the wilderness once the sun raises."

"Can't I take a day to rest up?" Ami asked, obviously whining as she grabbed her battle outfit.

"That was going to be tomorrow but since you just whined, you don't get a break this week."

Ami gave him a glare before stomping towards the bathroom.

"Evil, psychotic taskmaster," Ami muttered under her breath before she slammed the bathroom door behind her.

.:.

Ami sighed as she achingly sat down on a chair in the SOLDIER break room. Her muscles felt even worse than they had the first day of training. She crossed her arms in front of her, resting them on the table and felt exhaustion set in, making her sorely tempted to take a short nap before her training in the Training Room.

She had spent all weekend fighting various monsters out in the wasteland surrounding Midgar and a bit out to the wilderness beyond the wasteland. All she knew was that she was still exhausted and needed a break.

She was sawing logs when Zack walked in. He had been a part of the search to find Ami and found her passed out in the room. He felt sorry for the girl- she was obviously being put through an effective torture just by being trained by the most brutal taskmaster around. He wondered if he should lie to the Firsts and tell them that he didn't find Ami, if only to give her a much needed rest. But then he knew that Angeal would get annoyed at him over a lack of honor.

Instead, he walked to the fridge where the cold sodas were and grabbed a cola for him and a ginger ale for her. She could use the energy. He walked over to her and placed the cold can of soda against the back of her neck. He expected her to leap up in surprise. Instead, she lifted her head lazily and looked at him with exhausted and tired eyes.

"Hey Zack," she said lazily before putting her head back down, only to start snoring again.

This didn't look too good in his opinion and felt that perhaps Angeal could convince Sephiroth to give the poor girl a break already.

.:.

Hojo had been working on other projects before beeping from a computer tore his attention to said computer. He went through the pages of information, a frown deepening on his features before slamming a fist on the table the computer rested on, cursing under his breath. This was far worse than he had foreseen. He knew that things would become dire unless he acted quickly.

He tore out his PHS and sped dialed the one person he felt deserving of a verbal lashing.

.:.

Sephiroth grew more worried the longer that Ami had gone missing. Perhaps she had gotten bullied by the men who saw her as lesser than them, but knew it wouldn't happen- her strength and abilities were growing at a rate and he knew that before too long, she would easily match him if not eclipse him completely. He knew she didn't get hurt or else he would be hearing from Hojo- the scientist would use such situations as a reason to verbally attack him.

_'Speaking of the devil,'_ Sephiroth cursed inwardly as he pulled out the PHS, his caller ID saying that it was Hojo.

"I assume you have Ami," Sephiroth stated.

"I wish, you idiot! She needs to be up here five minutes ago!" came the nasal screech of Hojo.

"And you know this because you've implanted chips in her as you did with me?" Sephiroth asked.

"I'd be an idiot if I didn't! Now bring her up now!"

"I might give it a thought if I knew where she was."

"If you don't, she might die! Do you really want that to happen?"

"She'll be free of you."

"If she dies, so do you."

"She is hardly tied to me."

"I will kill you if you allow her to die."

"The President won't allow you to kill me. I'm much too profitable."

He could hear silence before a girlish and nasal scream of anger and frustration rang through the phone, prompting Sephiroth to quickly pull the PHS away from his ear.

Once the scream died off, he placed the phone back against his ear before saying, "you really should be careful about stress. It might give you a heart attack. Perhaps one that can prove to be deadly. It'd be a shame if you died before I can kill you."

"Find her and bring her up here," Hojo spat before hanging up.

Sephiroth barely had a chance to put his PHS away before it rang again. This time, he knew it was Zack calling due to the caller ID.

"Seph, I found Ami, but she's not waking up," Zack stated, "I mean she woke up a tiny bit five minutes ago but she's not responding. I don't know what's going on."

Sephiroth frowned.

"That doesn't sound good. Hojo wants her- apparently he has implanted microchips to monitor her and he believes that she might die without his supervision," Sephiroth stated.

"I'll take her to Dr. Hojo then," Zack stated before hanging up.

.:.

Author's Note: 12/20/10

Well, this turned out a good deal differently than I planned. I might condense the whole bit with Ami getting into serious trouble into the chapter after this one. As for what's happening, something is going odd with Ami. I can't tell you what just yet since I don't want to spoil the surprise. Just that I know what I'm going to wind up doing may screw with continuity but I doubt anyone would really mind since all I know of FF7 is from Crisis Core and Advent Children as well as what I can glean from the Final Fantasy Wiki.

I've got a religious celebration in two days so I really don't know when or if I'll be able to update again since I'm planning on spending the night at my stepmom's place on Christmas Eve. I'm not quite a Christian but I only celebrate it because the rest of my family does. And because due to a family tradition. This time of the year is fairly hard for me because two years ago yesterday, my father passed away.

He was pretty much the only family I had growing up and he had turned 53 less than a week before he passed. Of course, the doctors had been trying to convince him to go on kidney dialysis for a while and he chose not to because his mother did and he didn't want to grow any weaker than he already had due to his heart. I feel like a heel because I see his decision as selfish and that it still bothers me because I won't have him around to do things most fathers do like hand me off to any husband who I choose to marry or be a grandfather to any children I may or may not have. I just feel like a heel because of my opinions of his choice.

So I have that wound that always re-opening during this time of the year. It's just another year of not having a homemade birthday cake or anyone caring about my birthday to the point of being both well-meaning and annoying by singing that song.

I think I've complained enough about my life so I'll get on working on the next chapter.

Later!

~Gregora


	13. Chapter 10

Beyond the Veil

Disclaimer: I only own Ami-kun, the rest of everything is owned by other people, mostly Square-Enix. I'd like to thank everyone who has sent me feedback on this fic- you've all helped me out. I also would like to thank TsubasaWitch and LoreilDarksky00 for the first reviews since I've started the major re-write! Thanks to let me know at least someone reads this. ^_^

Chapter Ten

Sephiroth looked to Hojo once the scientist emerged into what appeared to be a waiting room. He didn't trust the scientist, seeing him as someone inferior to Gast who had long since disappeared. Gast had treated him like a person while Hojo was cruel and unrelenting. Every inch the stereotypical mad scientist. And for this, Sephiroth hated Hojo to no end. And he didn't trust Ami's care to Hojo.

"Well?" Sephiroth asked.

"Her body seems to be undergoing a metamorphosis. I have no clue what the end result is going to be. All I can do to is keep her in a mako bath to make sure she doesn't die during the process," Hojo stated.

It was then that Sephiroth, due to his enhanced hearing, heard what sounded like an explosion moments before Ami emerged from the room, soaked with mako. She gave Hojo a murderous glare.

"I know what you're planning," Ami stated, "I heard your thoughts. I'm not going to Deepground."

Ami then faltered, betraying the fact that she felt weak. Sephiroth gave her a glance, not knowing what was going on.

"We don't know what will happen if you don't. They have the resources and medical knowledge to keep you alive."

"The answer is 'no', Hojo," Ami stated.

"Fine. Then I'll keep you here in a mako bath then."

"No. I'm fine."

"Maybe now but what if what's happening to you gets out of hand?"

"It won't."

"How do you know?"

"Intuition."

"Feh. That doesn't exist. You're just guessing. What if you do go back with Sephiroth and you prove to be dangerous to him?"

"I'm not likely to lose control. Sides, Sephy here is a big boy. He can handle what may or may not happen," Ami stated.

"I don't like being called that and you know it," Sephiroth stated with great distain.

"You're a threat in your current state," Hojo stated, speaking over Sephiroth's words.

"So's most who are in SOLDIER," Ami spat back, "I'll be no different from everyone else in that regard."

"SOLDIER operatives pose no threat," Hojo stated.

"Only if they're in their right mind. Imagine if one were to go batshit insane. How much damage do you think they'd cause?"

"That is why a psychiatric exam is part of the entrance exams as well as being mandatory once a year," Hojo stated.

"Yeah and the psychiatrists can be intimidated by their patients into putting what the patient wants in their file," Ami stated.

Ami and Hojo locked eyes, glaring at each other. Both showed determined and stubborn glints before Hojo turned his head, breaking the stare.

"Fine. It's your funeral," Hojo stated.

Ami shivered due to being soaked and walked out, Sephiroth walking beside her.

"It appears I've pushed you further than I meant to," Sephiroth stated.

"There's a saying back where I'm from- what doesn't kill ya makes ya stronger," Ami stated.

.:.

Ami stood on the rooftop garden, her arms stretched out. She slowly bent an arm towards her as she bent her legs, shifting her weight as slowly. Her eyes were closed, focusing on clearing her mind. She needed to with how things had gotten. She would have done so the week before but she had been too exhausted and weak to go through with her usual meditation.

_'You're weak,'_ a voiced hissed in her head, _'you know that you're alone. Poor alone, unloved Ami. Your own Mother gave you up less than a week after you were born because she hated you.'_

_'Only because she hated that I looked just like my Father. She decided not to know me,' _Ami thought at the hissing voice, _'now be gone!'_

She forced the hissing out of her mind before turning her focus back on clearing her mind. The actions of her slow movements came naturally without thinking. With her mind cleared, she turned her focus outward, just in time to hear quiet and controlled footsteps.

"I thought you said you were relaxing," the calm voice stated.

"I am. I'm meditating. It helps keep my mind focused," Ami stated.

"Hn. Interesting."

"I doubt you came up here just to check on me."

"Hmph. I merely wanted to inform you that dinner's ready."

"I'll be down shortly," Ami stated.

.:.

She knew it was a memory that turned into a dream. She felt sad at the memory as she heard glasses break. Then came the screaming and shouting. All she could do was stare up at the ceiling.

"I can't stand that little demon!" she heard the woman she believed was her mother shout.

"Quiet! She'll hear you!" she heard her father exclaim, trying to soothe the woman downstairs.

"I don't care! I hate her! Why must you have taken that demon in! I told you to just turn her in! But no...you had to keep her like a stray! And now we don't have enough money for anything but food and rent!"

_'Mommy...hates me?'_

"She's my daughter! She needs someone to look to as her mother!"

"And she has nothing but you here! You could have given her everything by giving her up!"

"She's my responsibility!"

_'I am...a responsibility?'_

"Face it! You don't love her!"

The voices turned into mumbling as she felt tears come to her eyes. No one wanted her around. No one loved or cared about her.

"Wake up, Ami," a voice stated, cutting through the dream like a hot knife through butter.

Ami opened her eyes, realizing that there were tears in her eyes. She frowned and sat up.

"I heard your sobs again. Luckily, it's almost time for us to wake up," Sephiroth stated.

"Okay," Ami said, quieter than she wanted to speak.

"Do you want to talk about your dream?"

"It was just another painful memory," Ami stated with a frown, "it was when I found out that the woman I believed to have been my mother wasn't my real mother and she hated me on top of it. Followed shortly before finding out that my father only saw me as his responsibility."

Sephiroth frowned as he cooked in the kitchen.

"I'm sorry."

"Hmph. That was just minor compared to the fact that I was seven when I found out. I was ten when I found the one letter my mother gave my father that had been on me when she left me on his doorstep when I wasn't even a month old. Lots of curses to my father and curses at me for looking like him," Ami stated, looking away.

Without anything to say to diffuse the sadness that emanated from Ami, Sephiroth continued to cook in silence. The information she had told him made him feel depressed. At least, he felt almost as if he was the only one who could sympathize with her- he had been raised by Shinra from the beginning, only knowing that his mother was named Jenova and that she had died while giving birth to him. As for his father, he was a scientist who was always busy. Far too busy to care much about him.

And it seemed that her past was as happy and loving as his was. He knew that unlike him, she had created emotional armor that was her abrasive personality. He knew he was starting to understand her and that he was starting to trust the girl. Maybe even see her as a friend.

.:.

Author's Note: 12/22/10

Well, decided against leaving to the festival/religious ceremony that happens every six to seven weeks because I forgot that last month, the building in the complex that holds the laundry room had a fire. So really, I can't do laundry at all until it's repaired or when/if my family decides to help out. It really sucks.

However, the next time I'll be able to update will be either Sunday or Monday, depending on when I get back to my apartment where there's internet. Again, depends on how late my family keeps me on Christmas. If it's early enough, I'll be walking back to my apartment. It's only a mile or two. It's not fun walking it in the winter since everything keeps freezing over by three in the afternoon and the city bus will be annoying to navigate.

I generally don't enjoy holidays because of it. On turkey day, there was an absolute blizzard and roommate and I had to walk in it. It wasn't fun at all.

Well, enough of my talking of my grinchy ways.

Later!

~Gregora


	14. Holiday Bonus Fluff

Beyond the Veil

Disclaimer: I only own Ami-kun, the rest of everything is owned by other people, mostly Square-Enix. I'd like to thank everyone who has sent me feedback on this fic- you've all helped me out. I also would like to thank TsubasaWitch and LoreilDarksky00 for the first reviews since I've started the major re-write! Thanks to let me know at least someone reads this. ^_^

This just doesn't fit in the continuity of the fic, but it's just for fun.

Holiday Bonus Fluff

Ami gave Sephiroth an icy glare, getting one in return from the man who towered over her. He had given her a dress which had started off a stand-off. It didn't matter how fancy the dress was- it only mattered to her was that it was a dress. She had to admit that the fabric was very soft and smooth, but that didn't make her feel better about it.

"I'm. Not. Wearing. That. Thing," Ami stated, pouring as much venomous ice into each word as she could.

"Yes, you are," Sephiroth replied with as much iciness before a corner of his mouth lifted, "or would you rather I knock you out, disrobe you, put you in the dress and then use a phoenix down to wake you back up?"

"I've never worn a dress since I was six. I'm not going to start now. Why can't I just wear my SOLDIER uniform?"

"Because you're required to wear a dress to formal events since you're female," Sephiroth stated, "even Elena wears a dress to formal occasions even if she is a Turk."

Ami shifted her weight, crossing her arms in front of her since the dress was on the couch. She lifted her chin to glare right into his sapphire eyes. No one was going to put her in a dress- not now, not ever.

"Over my dead body."

"That can be arranged."

.:.

Ami glared at him as she walked to his left and slightly behind him. Her hair was dressed up, put up in such a way that she knew she couldn't replicate the hairstyle on her own- not that she wished to. She would rather keep her hair in styles that were simple enough that she could do without too much hairspray and gel. She swore her hair was as stiff as cardboard and was in such an elegant style that she hated it. She hated her hairstyle as much as the red satin dress with the wide neck that bunched up her modest assets and the matching red heels.

"You'll pay for this, Sephiroth," she hissed before the elevator doors opened and they were at the mercy of the party.

She saw as Lazard looked taken aback as did every single man around her age who she had seen while in SOLDIER uniform. Genesis looked surprised and Angeal looked startled. They had been standing right next to Lazard and were one of the first she saw. Then she saw a blonde-haired man who seemed about her age, his blonde hair slicked back, allowing his bangs to fall in his face. He stood a little behind Lazard, wearing a white suit and a black tie. He was flanked by two black suits that she knew were Turks. She saw the blonde man look at her in a way that she felt naked and analyzed at the same time. She knew who this man was and knew that he was trouble- after all, he was Rufus Shinra.

She somehow felt powerful as the single men looked at her in awe and surprise before they looked at her with appreciation and maybe a tiny bit of lust. She felt that the dress must have hid what fat still lingered on her frame or perhaps her training removed it all. She didn't care since she was more concerned each day about training.

However, she did feel naked without even her standard-issue sword. But she knew that Sephiroth carried Masamune on him and if weapons were needed, the Masamune would be out in an instant.

"I almost didn't recognize you, Ami," Lazard stated, taking a businesslike approach.

"Director Lazard," she replied with a nod, "I didn't know whether or not anyone I knew would be here."

"It's standard policy that the Executives and their best employees would be invited to the annual winter ball," Lazard replied, "Usually only First Class SOLDIER Operatives are invited, but you're a special case."

"That shade of red seems to go well with your fair complexion," Genesis stated with a smirk.

Ami raised her eyebrows at the man wearing his usual black and red outfit before asking, "are you flirting with me, Genesis?"

"Can't I just compliment you without you thinking I'm flirting with you?" Genesis asked.

"I guess," Ami stated with a shrug.

"So how much did you have to do to get Ami into the dress?" Angeal asked Sephiroth.

"I merely threatened to put it on her while she was unconscious to convince her," Sephiroth stated.

"Fufufufufu," Ami heard an annoying high-pitched laugh before seeing a woman in a tight red dress, her ample bosom nearly becoming free from its red sheath with each step, "it seems that red is a very popular color."

"It's not like I chose this dress. I would have preferred blue or purple, or even black," Ami stated, "if I weren't wearing this dress, I'd say only drama queens or complete snobs wear this color. But then again, I am wearing this dress and I can't say such things without rebounding on me since I am wearing this color and I don't seem to be a drama queen or a complete snob."

Genesis looked at her, surprised, shocked, and hurt before turning to Angeal and asked in a low voice, "Am I a drama queen?"

Her attention was focused on Scarlet to hear Genesis speak, instead hearing Scarlet's remark.

"We hardly have met and you seem to believe that I'm a complete snob or a drama queen," Scarlet stated.

"Well, back where I'm from most women with that kind of rack tends to hold it over those who are modestly modest like me," Ami stated before her voice and glance turned icy, "and I don't appreciate feeling inadequate like you wouldn't appreciate getting hit."

She felt a gloved hand on her shoulder before feeling that hand squeeze firmly- just enough that she knew that it was painful and the worst would happen was a bruise. She didn't need to look to see whose hand it was- she knew from experience that no one else had the guts or the cojones to do so. Not without threat of retaliation. She could see the irritation and comtempt in Scarlet's expression as Scarlet stepped forward so that they were as close to eye-to-eye as two people of different heights could be.

"Are you threatening me? Are you aware of what I can do to you and your reputation with the right words?" Scarlet asked.

"And are you aware of what I can do to you and your face with my right hand?" Ami asked.

"You wouldn't dare," Scarlet almost hissed, moments before Ami slapped Scarlet.

Ami merely used the same amount of force as she had remembered using to cause a painful slap that wouldn't even bruise. She realized right after her hand hit Scarlet's face that she heard a bit of a crack and felt some bones crack as if the woman's bones were as fragile as an eggshell. She heard echoing cracks as she swore her shoulder was being crushed, making her cry out from pain.

Rude and his partner Reno were watching the party when they heard a couple of raised voices and the sound of cracked bones. He watched as two women in red- one of them were Scarlet and another was a dark haired woman who seemed to be mostly muscle and had obviously just now starting to grow into a woman even if she did look around eighteen. He watched as the dark haired woman look like she was in pain before she turned so he could see Sephiroth's hand on the woman's shoulder- obviously squeezing before he remembered that he had done the same to the girl when they had been watching her.

"He's going to crush her shoulder if he isn't careful," Reno said, "we gotta do something."

"Like what? He's armed and can easily kill us," Rude stated, watching the scene before turning to where he swore his partner was, instead seeing open space.

_'The boss isn't going to be happy,'_ Rude thought before sighing and looking for his partner.

"Excuse me, sir," Ami heard a calm voice say even through her pain, "but you're hurting that girl."

"So it seems that I am," Sephiroth replied.

"I suggest you let go of her."

"She isn't your concern."

"If you don't let her go, it will be."

She felt herself gasp with the relief of the sharp pain that gave way to the more manageable dull pain. She felt her being led somewhere as she opened her eyes, still seeing stars of pain in her vision. However, she did see through the blurred vision and stars, an expanse of red and an expanse of black. She was forced into a seat- not roughly like Sephiroth usually did, but gently.

"Let me take a look," the voice said, the cadence slow but the tone gentle and worried.

"I've been through worse," she stated, her vision cleared up until she recognized the facial tattoos and the mop of red hair.

"You've gotta be more careful 'round that guy. He's bad news, it seems," Reno stated, "even if he is your mentor in SOLDIER. So what was that deal with Scarlet?"

"She was being a snob to me, actin' like I disgraced her just by wearin' red, y'know? One can't claim a color like one can claim turf," Ami stated, relaxing, "that and this is just...different than what I'm used to. Parties back there are potential gunfights waiting to happen. People insult each other, shrug off the snubs and walk away or start a fist fight. This is far more fancier than anythin' I've ever been to."

"I know the feeling," Reno agreed with a nod.

"I know I'm not high class material."

"You an' me both, yo."

"I see you have a new friend," a voice stated gruffly.

"Heya Rude. This is Ami, a Third Class in SOLDIER."

Ami nodded to Rude before hearing a slight noise behind her before she twirled around, ready to defend herself. Instead, she faced a man who she swore looked Oriental and wore a black suit. His hands were in his pockets.

"I had no wish to harm you, Miss Durrell," the man said.

"Wow. You have insane reflexes, yo," Reno stated.

"I grew up in a place that would make Midgar's slums seem inviting," Ami stated, "lived on the streets a good amount."

"You may have been a good candidate for the Turks if SOLDIER hadn't claimed you," the man stated, "I'm Tseng of the Turks."

Ami offered her hand to him, "And you seem to know who I am."

"Yes. Reno and I were watching your fight with the altered Behemoth on the streets and you were using a length of pipe."

"Yeah. That was an awesome fight, yo."

"It seems that you are more skilled at making friends than I thought," a calm voice stated from behind Ami.

"I will ensure that my people will limit their interference with your pupil's discipline," Tseng stated.

Ami turned around to see Sephiroth who was wearing his battle uniform and a cold glance at her.

"We are leaving, Ami," Sephiroth stated, "it seems that your actions have worried some people here."

Ami nodded before turning to the Turks.

"See ya guys around," she stated before following Sephiroth.

"She seems to be an interesting girl," Rude stated.

"I just wanna ask somethin' boss- why?"

"Hm?"

"Why can't we interfere when we see Sephiroth hurt Ami?"

"Ami's a SOLDIER Operative, not a Turk. She is supposed to be someone expected to handle herself."

"I guess..."

.:.

Author's Note: 12/26/10

I apologize for not posting at all. I've been busy and my life's been annoying to say the least. On Thursday (the 23rd for those who don't know), Roommate's compy's screen died and since Roommate and I have been sharing my laptop and that means hardly any time to spend on working on BtV. T_T

And that's just leading up to the real annoyances. The next day (or Xmas Eve), I mistakenly thought it was Christmas Day and showed up at my stepmom's place. My stepmom decided that since everyone was going to be there that night anyways and since a few of us have to rely on public transportation, it would be easier to just do all of the Christmas Day festivities that day. So we unwrapped presents and had dinner, all the while hearing my stepmom's boyfriend tell everyone else how stupid Roommate and I are for not using our computers' calendars to see when Christmas was. In Roommate's defense- he's culturally Jewish and isn't supposed to know when Christmas was. In my defense, I was just an idiot.

I wound up getting only four presents (I don't care how many things I get, really) but some of them were kinda...sucky. I got a small tin box that had three of those cheap cinnamon rolls, a package of miniature peanut butter cups, and a package of gummy bears; a Magic the Gathering Intro Pack for M11 (the mostly Blue one), a M11 Fat Pack (the first pack I opened had Chandra Nalaar), and a pair of headphones.

What really got me yesterday was that I was trying to use my headphones for the second time and I noticed that I was getting no sound. I realized why- my cat chewed through the cord. So now, all I got is an empty tin canister which I'm using to hold various types of dice (I'm a tabletop gamer too), an empty fat pack box, and a pair of broken headphones that I plan on repairing in a week or two (all I need to do is expose the wires, get the wires hot enough to burn off the sealant, match the wires, twist each match together, wrap each pair with electrical tape, and then cover the wires with electrical tape.)

I really don't care about Christmas all that much, well, not the getting part. I see it as a holiday whose sole purpose is to thank one's friends and family for putting up with you that year and bribe them to still be around the next year while being forced to do various embarrassing things by family. Just because a family is a usually sadistic group of family who likes to force you into conforming. In other words, for the first time in my life, I was forced to remove my favorite shirt just to wear a red shirt because everyone else is wearing red shirts and get in a family photo with people who are either continually criticizing me over how I deal with my back pain, the state of my apartment (a side-effect of how I deal with said back pain), the guys I've dated (okay, they have more than ample ground to criticize), and/or those who are younger than me with three boys and refers to me behind my back as "the retard" while not realizing that within the next ten years, I will be having a job that allows me to make something of my life while their sole achievement would be that they lived to see their late twenties.

I'm just depressed as I usually am around this time of the year. Partly because of a span of one hellish week. On the 14th of December was my dad's birthday, on the 19th is the anniversary of his death (he's been dead for two years now), and then the torture of Christmas on the 24th or 25th. Yeah, it's not fun. Like having a loving, affectionate, playful furball who seems to enjoy destroying expansive video game consoles and headphones. I just wish I can teach him not to destroy video game consoles and headphones. I don't want to get rid of him because he's really a part of my life- he's always around me and is a rather good cat when he isn't being destructive or uber playful (he bites when he plays but it's one of those bites that are painful but never breaks the skin).

Well, I think I complained enough.

Laters!

~Gregora


End file.
